IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Shares Down 7.7% – Time to Sell?

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) shares fell 7.7% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $38.92 and last traded at $39.90. 23,526,373 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 20,459,340 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.24.

IonQ News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IonQ is pushing a full‑stack quantum platform via new acquisitions that expand its hardware, software and systems capabilities — a strategic move that supports longer‑term revenue diversification and positioning in quantum computing. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company is acquiring Seed Innovations, a Colorado software firm, to bolster its software stack shortly after announcing a related $1.8B semiconductor deal — an execution step investors may view as building product depth and customer solutions. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company reiterated a Buy rating on IonQ, signaling continued institutional confidence in the company’s long‑term thesis and growth prospects. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities also reaffirmed a Buy rating, which may support investor sentiment despite near‑term volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fundamentals remain mixed: revenue has surged year‑over‑year, but IonQ reported a large EPS miss last quarter and remains unprofitable — creating near‑term uncertainty while the company invests in platform expansion.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: recent trading shows a notable intraday decline and above‑average volume, indicating investors are selling into the news or taking profits after the stock’s prior run; this weakness was highlighted in coverage noting a >5% drop on a recent session. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on IONQ. Zacks Research upgraded IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on IonQ in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 price objective on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on shares of IonQ from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of IonQ from $32.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, IonQ has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.91.

IonQ Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $13.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.46 and a beta of 2.63. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $51.43.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($3.58) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($3.14). The company had revenue of $39.87 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $26.99 million. IonQ had a negative net margin of 1,836.32% and a negative return on equity of 127.06%. IonQ’s revenue was up 221.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.24) EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that IonQ, Inc. will post -0.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.40, for a total value of $1,028,000.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 60,839 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,124.60. This trade represents a 24.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CRO Rima Alameddine sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.89, for a total value of $4,689,000.00. Following the sale, the executive owned 432,616 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,285,364.24. The trade was a 18.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 125,000 shares of company stock worth $5,992,000 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On IonQ

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of IonQ by 28.4% in the second quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,008 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank raised its holdings in IonQ by 112.5% in the 3rd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in IonQ by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 5,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Lauer Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of IonQ by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Lauer Wealth LLC now owns 4,852 shares of the company’s stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of IonQ by 11.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,480 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.42% of the company’s stock.

IonQ Company Profile

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.