IonQ, Inc. $IONQ Shares Bought by Empowered Funds LLC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC increased its IonQ position by 862.9% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 47,280 shares valued at approximately $1.36 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 41.42% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with nine Buy ratings, four Holds and one Sell; IonQ has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $69.92.
• IonQ reported quarterly revenue of about $80.1 million, up 286.7% year over year and above expectations, but remains unprofitable with a negative net margin. The stock is highly volatile, while recent insider sales and a secondary share resale filing could create additional selling-pressure or dilution concerns.

Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ - Free Report) by 862.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,280 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,370 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in IonQ were worth $1,363,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of IONQ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in IonQ by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,774,743 shares of the company's stock worth $1,560,343,000 after purchasing an additional 5,420,037 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of IonQ by 42.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,962,789 shares of the company's stock worth $402,160,000 after buying an additional 2,663,230 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in IonQ by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,074,301 shares of the company's stock valued at $361,624,000 after acquiring an additional 1,452,463 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in IonQ in the 4th quarter valued at about $199,753,000. Finally, Marex Group plc increased its holdings in IonQ by 419.1% during the 4th quarter. Marex Group plc now owns 4,083,453 shares of the company's stock valued at $183,225,000 after acquiring an additional 3,296,866 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 41.42% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on IONQ. Morgan Stanley set a $49.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $75.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on IonQ from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a report on Thursday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $69.92.

Key Headlines Impacting IonQ

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly results and raised outlook: IonQ reported second-quarter revenue of approximately $80.1 million, up 287% year over year and above expectations. The company also raised its 2026 revenue outlook to $280 million–$290 million, reinforcing the view that demand is accelerating. IONQ Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Beat, Stock Rises
• Positive Sentiment: Defense business is expanding: DARPA awarded IonQ a $28 million contract extension, with a potential additional $30 million option, to produce 125 next-generation optical atomic clocks. Separately, IonQ’s Capella space division won an NRO contract for commercial synthetic-aperture-radar data supporting national-security missions. These awards add revenue visibility and strengthen IonQ’s government customer base. DARPA Selects IonQ to Produce Next-Generation Atomic Clocks
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic growth initiatives gained attention: The $1.8 billion SkyWater Technology acquisition is supporting IonQ’s vertically integrated quantum roadmap, including a planned 256-qubit system. Reported remaining performance obligations reached $485 million, while new grid, networking and cybersecurity projects broaden the company’s commercial opportunity. IonQ Sparks a Quantum Grid Revolution
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains bullish: Benchmark, Needham, Cantor Fitzgerald and Rosenblatt reaffirmed positive ratings, with price targets ranging from $60 to $100, helping support the rebound in speculative quantum stocks.
• Neutral Sentiment: IonQ remains a high-volatility, unprofitable growth stock. Analysts see substantial long-term upside if quantum adoption reaches commercial milestones, but the shares are still well below their 52-week high and the company continues to post significant losses. What Sent IonQ Shares Surging and Whether the Momentum Can Last
• Negative Sentiment: IonQ filed a prospectus supplement related to a secondary share resale, which could increase the available share supply and create dilution or selling-pressure concerns. Investors are also still mindful of the stock’s 31.6% July decline and the risk that enthusiasm may fade if quantum commercialization takes longer than expected. IonQ Files Prospectus Supplement for Secondary Share Resale

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider John W. Raymond sold 3,815 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.01, for a total transaction of $209,863.15. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 80,148 shares in the company, valued at $4,408,941.48. This represents a 4.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 2,757 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.02, for a total transaction of $151,690.14. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 62,608 shares in the company, valued at $3,444,692.16. This represents a 4.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,329 shares of company stock valued at $513,216. Insiders own 0.55% of the company's stock.

IonQ Stock Performance

Shares of IONQ opened at $44.48 on Friday. IonQ, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $25.89 and a fifty-two week high of $84.64. The company has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a PE ratio of -9.55 and a beta of 3.28. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $47.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.32.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.56) by $0.23. The business had revenue of $80.05 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $66.47 million. IonQ had a negative return on equity of 21.75% and a negative net margin of 553.27%.The business's revenue was up 286.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.70) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that IonQ, Inc. will post -2.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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