IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Shares Up 21.3% – Time to Buy?

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)’s stock price traded up 21.3% on Thursday . The company traded as high as $41.90 and last traded at $40.75. 69,618,672 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 223% from the average session volume of 21,524,271 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.59.

Key Headlines Impacting IonQ

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and raised FY26 guidance — IonQ reported Q4 revenue of $61.9M (≈429% YoY) and raised 2026 revenue guidance to $225–245M, a major growth surprise that sparked the prior session’s rally. IonQ Just Delivered the Quarter That Changes the Quantum Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Large cash cushion and strategic M&A — IonQ’s pro‑forma cash/investments (~$3.3B) plus acquisitions (Vector Atomic, SkyWater) reduce dilution risk and support aggressive growth/defense contracting. IonQ Just Delivered the Quarter That Changes the Quantum Narrative
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial & defense traction — New deployments (large QKD network in Romania) and inclusion on the MDA SHIELD IDIQ validate demand outside pilots and improve revenue visibility. IonQ Delivers One of the Largest Operational Quantum Key Distribution Networks in Europe
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector/peer context — Comparative analyst pieces (QUBT, RGTI, D‑Wave) provide context on upside vs. rivals but don’t change IonQ’s company‑specific drivers. QUBT vs. IONQ: Which Quantum Computing Stock Offers Greater Upside?
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcript available — Read management’s comments for color on cadence and margin targets; useful for modeling but not an immediate catalyst. IonQ Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst trims and mixed broker notes — Several firms cut targets or moved to neutral after Q4 (DA Davidson, JPMorgan), which can cap near‑term upside and feeds headline selling. These Analysts Slash Their Forecasts On IonQ After Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Margins and cash burn remain a concern — Gross margin contracted and management projects a large adjusted loss for 2026, keeping valuation dependent on sustained execution. IonQ Stock Up on Q4 Earnings & Revenue Beat, Gross Margin Down
• Negative Sentiment: Post‑rally profit‑taking, analyst caution and an insider sale are pressuring the stock today after the big move — high volume and volatile positioning amplified the pullback. SEC Insider Filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on IONQ. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on IonQ in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of IonQ in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of IonQ in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research upgraded IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $37.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a report on Thursday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, IonQ presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.45.

IonQ Stock Down 6.3%

The company has a market cap of $13.31 billion, a PE ratio of -15.38 and a beta of 2.63. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.28.

Insider Buying and Selling at IonQ

In related news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 5,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director directly owned 60,839 shares in the company, valued at $3,346,145. This trade represents a 7.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William J. Teuber, Jr. bought 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $38.38 per share, for a total transaction of $115,140.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 9,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $361,270.94. This represents a 46.78% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,781 shares of company stock valued at $1,525,804. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its holdings in IonQ by 12.5% in the 1st 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 acquired a new stake in shares of IonQ in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $630,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of IonQ by 106.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 57,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after buying an additional 29,513 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 87,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 10,881 shares during the period. 41.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.