IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.9091.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their target price on IonQ from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on IonQ in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective 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. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on shares of IonQ in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director William J. Teuber, Jr. bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $54.81 per share, for a total transaction of $109,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 6,413 shares in the company, valued at $351,496.53. The trade was a 45.32% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.40, for a total value of $1,028,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 60,839 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,127,124.60. This represents a 24.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 125,000 shares of company stock worth $5,992,000 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of IonQ by 12.5% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 134,176 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,962,000 after buying an additional 14,898 shares during the last quarter. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of IonQ during the 1st quarter valued at $630,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of IonQ by 106.2% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 57,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 29,513 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of IonQ by 24.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 450,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,932,000 after purchasing an additional 87,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of IonQ by 30.3% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 46,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 10,881 shares during the period. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

IonQ News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $100 price target, signaling strong analyst conviction and a large implied upside versus recent levels. Rosenblatt Reaffirms Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Barrages of bullish retail/long‑term pieces highlight IonQ’s leadership in quantum hardware, acquisitions to control the ecosystem, and long‑term upside narratives that can attract growth‑oriented investors. Should You Put $1,000 Into This High-Risk, High-Reward Stock Right Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ 2026 quantum outlook singles out IonQ but warns growth is cooling after 2024–2025 surges and that revenue scaling may slow amid macro and geopolitical headwinds — a reminder that execution and revenue cadence will matter to valuation. Quantum Computing 2026 Outlook: 2 Stocks for Long-Term Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Major outlets report that IonQ publicly disputes the short‑seller’s claims and the company has pushed back on alleged “holes” in revenue, which could limit the lasting damage if the rebuttal satisfies customers and investors. IonQ Disputes Short-Seller Claims
• Negative Sentiment: A Wolfpack Research short‑seller report alleged loss of key defense contracts and gaps in revenue; that report triggered a prior sharp selloff and remains a primary catalyst for investor concern and volatility. Should IonQ Stock Investors Panic?
• Negative Sentiment: Ademi LLP announced an investigation into possible securities‑fraud claims tied to alleged inaccurate statements about IonQ’s operations and prospects — a legal/regulatory overhang that increases downside risk and could prolong volatility. Ademi LLP Investigates Claims of Securities Fraud

IonQ Stock Performance

IONQ opened at $35.02 on Friday. IonQ has a twelve month low of $17.88 and a twelve month high of $84.64. The firm has a market cap of $12.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.55 and a beta of 2.63. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $47.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.06.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($3.58) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($3.14). The firm 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 quarterly revenue was up 221.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.24) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that IonQ will post -0.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.