DA Davidson Has Lowered Expectations for IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Stock Price

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) had its target price lowered by analysts at DA Davidson from $55.00 to $35.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. DA Davidson’s price objective would indicate a potential downside of 13.74% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of IonQ in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on IonQ from $80.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho assumed coverage on IonQ in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $90.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.91.

IonQ Stock Up 20.8%

Shares of IONQ traded up $6.99 during trading on Thursday, reaching $40.58. 38,930,542 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 20,667,439. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $50.39. The stock has a market cap of $14.10 billion, a PE ratio of -7.53 and a beta of 2.63. IonQ has a twelve month low of $17.88 and a twelve month high of $84.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 5,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total value of $275,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 60,839 shares in the company, valued at $3,346,145. The trade was a 7.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 25,616 shares of company stock valued at $1,322,096 over the last 90 days. 5.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of IonQ

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Archer Investment Corp boosted its position in shares of IonQ by 119.3% during the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 592 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in IonQ by 700.0% during the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in IonQ by 485.7% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in IonQ by 112.5% in the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accent Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in IonQ by 171.8% during the fourth quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC now owns 587 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting IonQ

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue and guidance topped expectations — Q4 revenue rose sharply to about $61.9M (well above estimates) and FY26 revenue guidance ($225M–$245M midpoint) came in meaningfully above Street estimates, supporting the view that IonQ is scaling commercial demand. IonQ Stock Pops After Posting Triple-Digit Growth and Strong 2026 Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Major commercial deployment in Europe — IonQ announced deployment of technology powering Romania’s national quantum key distribution (RoNaQCI), one of Europe’s largest operational QKD networks, validating enterprise/government demand for its networking products. IonQ Delivers One of the Largest Operational Quantum Key Distribution Networks in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Defense/government traction — IonQ was named to the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD IDIQ vehicle, opening access to a large defense spending pool and potential future task orders. This adds credibility to long-term revenue pathways in national security. Quantum: IonQ Selected to Support Missile Defense Agency SHIELD IDIQ Contract
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price-target moves are mixed — Benchmark cut its target from $75 to $65 but kept a “buy” rating, signaling continued confidence despite a lower near-term valuation view. Benchmark Lowers Price Target on IonQ
• Neutral Sentiment: Rosenblatt reaffirmed a buy and maintained a $100 target, showing divergence among brokers on longer-term upside. Rosenblatt Reaffirms Buy on IonQ
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts trimmed forecasts despite the beat — a few firms reduced estimates/targets after the report, highlighting remaining uncertainty around margins, cash burn and the sustainability of hyper-growth. These Analysts Slash Their Forecasts On IonQ After Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Losses widened and margins remain negative — non‑GAAP loss per share was still negative (company reported a smaller loss than expected on a per‑share basis, but overall profitability and negative net margins are a concern for some investors). IonQ Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — a director sold a small block of shares recently; it’s a minor data point but may be noted by investors monitoring insider activity. Director Insider Sale Filing

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc engages in the development of general-purpose quantum computing systems in the United States. It sells access to quantum computers of various qubit capacities. The company makes access to its quantum computers through cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amazon Braket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, and Google’s Cloud Marketplace, as well as through its cloud service. It also provides contracts associated with the design, development, and construction of specialized quantum computing hardware systems; maintenance and support services; and consulting services related to co-developing algorithms on quantum computing systems.