IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Stock Price Target Cut by Needham & Company LLC

Key Points

• Needham cut its IonQ price target from $65 to $48 but maintained a Buy rating; the new target implies 80.95% upside from the current share price.
• IonQ reported third-quarter revenue of $173.8 million, up 336% year over year and above estimates, while its per-share loss was narrower than expected. The company also raised 2026 revenue guidance to $505 million–$515 million and reported a $1.2 billion backlog.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: MarketBeat reports a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target of $62.15, though IonQ remains unprofitable and its shares fell 10.2% on Friday.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by stock analysts at Needham & Company LLC from $65.00 to $48.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 80.95% from the company's current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $75.00 price target on shares of IonQ in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of IonQ from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price objective on shares of IonQ from $70.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of IonQ from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Friday, August 21st. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.15.

IonQ Trading Down 10.2%

Shares of IONQ opened at $26.53 on Friday. IonQ has a 12-month low of $24.92 and a 12-month high of $73.65. The company has a market cap of $11.39 billion, a PE ratio of -5.69 and a beta of 3.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $37.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.67.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.35) by $0.06. The company had revenue of $173.83 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $141.49 million. IonQ had a negative net margin of 553.27% and a negative return on equity of 22.29%. IonQ's revenue for the quarter was up 336.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($3.58) earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that IonQ will post -2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at IonQ

In related news, insider John Raymond sold 2,407 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.21, for a total value of $89,564.47. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 77,741 shares in the company, valued at $2,892,742.61. The trade was a 3.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IONQ. Pier 88 Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of IonQ by 8.5% during the third quarter. Pier 88 Investment Partners LLC now owns 12,700 shares of the company's stock valued at $557,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of IonQ in the third quarter worth about $385,000. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its stake in shares of IonQ by 18.4% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 22,402 shares of the company's stock worth $983,000 after purchasing an additional 3,481 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of IonQ by 77.1% in the third quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 7,913 shares of the company's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 3,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in IonQ during the 3rd quarter valued at about $118,000. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

IonQ News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue reached a record $173.8 million, up 336% year over year and ahead of the roughly $141.5 million consensus estimate. The per-share loss of $0.29 was also narrower than expected. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: IonQ raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $505 million–$515 million, while its backlog grew to $1.2 billion. Stronger guidance and contracted demand can support the growth outlook. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: IonQ advanced to Stage C of DARPA’s quantum benchmarking initiative and said its Superion 256 capacity for 2027 is sold out, signaling progress and customer demand. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent weakness in quantum and other high-risk technology shares was attributed to a broader chip and AI stock selloff, rather than a company-specific development. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks added IonQ to its Rank #5 (Strong Sell) list, a bearish near-term rating signal. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the revenue beat, IonQ remains loss-making, and commentary flagged uncertainty about commercial adoption and potential dilution from a planned $2 billion capital raise. Its completed $1.15 billion all-stock Elisity acquisition adds strategic reach but also raises questions about dilution and execution. Read More.

IonQ Company Profile

IonQ, Inc NYSE: IONQ is a quantum computing company that develops full-stack quantum computing systems and related software. Its technology is based on trapped-ion quantum computing, which uses electrically charged atoms as qubits and is designed to support highly accurate quantum operations.

The company provides access to its quantum computers through cloud platforms and direct enterprise and research engagements. Its offerings include quantum computing hardware, cloud-based access, software tools, and professional services intended to help organizations explore applications in areas such as optimization, chemistry, materials science, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

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