JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Price Target to $42.00

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) had its price target decreased by equities researchers at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $47.00 to $42.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.07% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Mizuho started coverage on IonQ in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $90.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wedbush assumed coverage on IonQ in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of IonQ from $55.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of IonQ in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Nine 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. According to data from MarketBeat, IonQ presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.45.

IonQ Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IONQ traded up $7.16 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $40.75. The company had a trading volume of 69,909,030 shares, compared to its average volume of 21,524,271. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $42.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.39. The company has a market capitalization of $14.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.62 and a beta of 2.63. IonQ has a 12-month low of $17.88 and a 12-month high of $84.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at IonQ

In related news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 5,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $275,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 60,839 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,346,145. This trade represents a 7.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 in the last three months. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On IonQ

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of IonQ by 12.5% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 134,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,962,000 after purchasing an additional 14,898 shares in the last quarter. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of IonQ during the first quarter worth $630,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of IonQ by 106.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 57,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after acquiring an additional 29,513 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in IonQ by 24.1% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 450,031 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,932,000 after acquiring an additional 87,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in IonQ by 30.3% in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.42% of the company’s stock.

IonQ News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat, management raised full‑year guidance — IonQ reported Q4 revenue of $61.9M (up ~429% YoY), beat estimates, narrowed losses, and guided FY2026 revenue to $225M–$245M, well above consensus; this is the main driver of today’s rally. MarketBeat: Quarter that changes the quantum narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Major commercial / defense wins and deployments — IonQ announced a large operational QKD deployment in Romania and was selected to support the U.S. Missile Defense Agency SHIELD IDIQ, validating commercial and government demand for its quantum networking and sensing stack. Yahoo: Romania QKD deployment
• Positive Sentiment: Big cash position reduces dilution risk — management disclosed pro‑forma cash, equivalents and investments of roughly $3.3B, giving IonQ flexibility to fund growth, M&A and defense work without immediate equity raises. MarketBeat: Cash advantage
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic M&A and vertical integration — recent deals (Vector Atomic, SkyWater) support a full‑stack commercial/defense strategy; these are constructive long term but add integration risk and capital needs. MarketBeat: M&A and strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Cost pressure and margin compression — revenue surged, but gross margin fell and operating losses are widening; management expects a sizable adjusted loss for 2026, offset by the large cash balance. Zacks: Revenue beat but margins down
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst reactions — some firms cut price targets and forecasts after the results (DA Davidson lowered its target to $35 and moved to Neutral) even as others reiterated high targets, creating analyst disagreement and potential volatility. Benzinga: DA Davidson PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — a company director sold 616 shares recently; small in size but will be noted by some investors watching insider activity. SEC filing: Insider sale

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.