D.A. Davidson & CO. Lowers Stock Holdings in IonQ, Inc. $IONQ

Key Points

• D.A. Davidson cut its IonQ stake by 70.4% in Q4, selling 19,835 shares and ending the period with 8,332 shares worth about $374,000.
• Analyst views are mixed—DA Davidson trimmed its target to $35 (neutral) and some firms cut targets while others remain bullish—yet the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $68.25.
• IonQ is expanding commercial offerings (launched an InSAR service and signed an MSA with Florida LambdaRail), but the stock has a negative P/E, high beta and upcoming Q1 results (after close May 6) that could create significant volatility.

D.A. Davidson & CO. lowered its holdings in shares of IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ - Free Report) by 70.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,332 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,835 shares during the quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in IonQ were worth $374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in IONQ. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of IonQ by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,774,743 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,560,343,000 after acquiring an additional 5,420,037 shares in the last quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP increased its stake in IonQ by 286.1% during the third quarter. Lansdowne Partners UK LLP now owns 1,937,031 shares of the company's stock worth $119,127,000 after acquiring an additional 1,435,394 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in IonQ by 19.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,299,559 shares of the company's stock worth $387,423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,043,878 shares during the last quarter. Clear Street Group Inc. acquired a new stake in IonQ during the third quarter worth $61,488,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of IonQ by 262.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 576,391 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,768,000 after buying an additional 930,490 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on IONQ. Wall Street Zen cut IonQ from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of IonQ in a report on Monday, February 9th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on IonQ from $55.00 to $35.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a report on Monday. Finally, Needham & Company LLC decreased their target price on IonQ from $80.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Ten 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.25.

IonQ Price Performance

Shares of NYSE IONQ opened at $48.05 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -19.30 and a beta of 3.05. The business has a 50-day moving average of $35.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.77. IonQ, Inc. has a 1 year low of $25.89 and a 1 year high of $84.64.

More IonQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: IonQ launched a commercial InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) service for millimeter-scale earth monitoring — a new revenue stream from its space missions business that helps diversify away from pure quantum services. IonQ Launches Commercial InSAR Capability
• Positive Sentiment: IonQ signed a Master Service Agreement with Florida LambdaRail to help build a quantum‑safe network in Florida — a strategic infrastructure win that supports recurring contract revenue potential. IonQ Signs MSA With Florida LambdaRail
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side support remains upbeat: Wedbush reaffirmed an Outperform rating with a $60 target and Morgan Stanley raised its target to $47 (though it kept an Equal Weight). Analyst backing helps underpin the rally into earnings. Wedbush Reaffirms Outperform
• Neutral Sentiment: IonQ reports Q1 results after the close on May 6 — multiple previews note high expectations (revenue momentum, contract wins, and the company’s recent acquisitions). That makes the print a near-term volatility event. IonQ Reports Q1: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and bullish retail/investor pieces (e.g., 247WallStreet) highlight an acquisition spree and contract wins — positive narrative but also fuels expectations that earnings must validate. Hold On Tight! IonQ Is About to Rocket Higher
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and execution risk: IonQ trades with a negative P/E, high beta and a recent sharp run-up — heavy volume increases downside risk if Q1 misses expectations or guidance is weak. Investors should expect earnings-driven volatility and watch revenue recognition from acquisitions and government/space contracts.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other IonQ news, Director William J. Teuber, Jr. purchased 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $38.38 per share, with a total value of $115,140.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Robert T. Cardillo sold 5,165 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.44, for a total value of $203,707.60. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 112,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,428,757.04. This trade represents a 4.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,581 shares of company stock valued at $316,156 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.20% 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.

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