D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) Trading Down 4.6% Following Insider Selling

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)’s stock price fell 4.6% on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $28.71 and last traded at $28.75. 43,421,722 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 40,024,453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.15.

Specifically, CEO Alan E. Baratz sold 35,013 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.06, for a total transaction of $982,464.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,598,150 shares in the company, valued at $72,904,089. The trade was a 1.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO John M. Markovich sold 9,179 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.06, for a total value of $257,562.74. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,462,133 shares in the company, valued at $41,027,451.98. This represents a 0.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on QBTS shares. Williams Trading set a $35.00 target price on D-Wave Quantum in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Roth Capital set a $40.00 target price on shares of D-Wave Quantum in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of D-Wave Quantum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of D-Wave Quantum in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $46.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Benchmark upped their price target on D-Wave Quantum from $20.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.67.

Key Headlines Impacting D-Wave Quantum

Here are the key news stories impacting D-Wave Quantum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company demonstrated what it calls the first scalable, on‑chip cryogenic control of gate‑model qubits — a technical milestone that could accelerate D‑Wave’s roadmap for gate‑model systems and broaden addressable markets if it leads to faster product development or customer wins. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) Demonstrates First Scalable, On-Chip Cryogenic Control of Gate-Model Qubits
• Positive Sentiment: Rosenblatt (via coverage picked up by Barron’s) initiated coverage of Rigetti and other quantum names at Buy — a favorable analyst initiation for the sector that can lift sentiment and drive inflows toward QBTS alongside peers. Rigetti and Quantum Computing Stocks Are a Buy, Says Analyst. Look Past the Criticism of Both.
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported expanding global customer traction with multiple Q3 customer deals across airlines, banking and pharma and disclosed bookings of $2.4M — evidence of growing commercial adoption that supports revenue upside versus earlier stages. D-Wave Quantum’s Expanded Global Customer Base Is Gaining Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Media/analysis pieces (Fool, MSN) are circulating bullish scenario analyses and partnership commentary; these can influence retail sentiment but are largely speculative and not immediate company announcements. D-Wave just got a ‘formidable’ quantum computing ‘ally.’ Should you buy QBTS stock here?
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-form bullish takes have appeared arguing large upside if government adoption and Advantage2 scale; useful for narrative but depend on execution and macro/valuation conditions. Could D-Wave Stock Make You a Millionaire in Next 5 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by top executives: CEO Alan Baratz sold 35,013 shares (~$28.06 avg), and CFO John Markovich sold 9,179 shares (~$28.06 avg) on Jan. 14; their filings show modest reductions in holdings. Such insider sales often trigger short‑term selling pressure or skepticism about timing, even if they can be routine or for diversification. Alan E. Baratz Form 4 John M. Markovich Form 4

D-Wave Quantum Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $10.07 billion, a PE ratio of -21.30 and a beta of 1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 54.49 and a current ratio of 54.68. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $26.22 and its 200-day moving average is $23.89.

D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.07) by $0.02. D-Wave Quantum had a negative return on equity of 97.58% and a negative net margin of 1,651.81%.The business had revenue of $3.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 million. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 105.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that D-Wave Quantum Inc. will post -0.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. acquired a new stake in D-Wave Quantum during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of D-Wave Quantum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in D-Wave Quantum by 227.3% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 2,206 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 1,532 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.47% of the company’s stock.

D-Wave Quantum Company Profile

D-Wave Quantum Inc (NYSE: QBTS) develops and provides quantum computing systems, software and services focused on quantum annealing technology. Headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, D-Wave designs specialized processors that leverage quantum mechanics to solve complex optimization and sampling problems. Since its founding in 1999 by physicists including Geordie Rose, the company has pursued the development of commercially viable quantum hardware and accompanying software tools.

The company’s product portfolio centers on its quantum annealers, which are complemented by hybrid solvers that integrate classical and quantum computing resources.