IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Stock Price Up 5% – Should You Buy?

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)’s stock price shot up 5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $46.44 and last traded at $45.5440. 25,003,224 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 23% from the average session volume of 20,261,684 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.37.

IonQ News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Transformational acquisition — IonQ agreed to buy SkyWater Technology for ~$1.8B to bring semiconductor foundry capabilities in‑house, which management says accelerates next‑gen hardware development and vertical integration. IonQ to buy SkyWater for $1.8 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Rosenblatt and Needham reiterated “buy” ratings and raised/maintained aggressive price targets ($100 and $80), signaling substantial upside expectations if IonQ successfully executes on SkyWater integration and scaling. Benzinga coverage TickerReport
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor analysis and strategy context — Zacks and other analyst pieces discuss IonQ’s 2026 investment thesis (scale, full‑stack platform) and how it stacks versus competitors; useful for gauging medium‑term expectations but not immediate catalysts. IonQ 2026 Investment Thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of sector dynamics — comparative pieces (e.g., QBTS vs IONQ) and M&A call/transcript provide detail on competitive positioning and deal rationale; they inform conviction but are not single decisive drivers. QBTS or IONQ: Which Quantum Stock Wins M&A Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder investigation — a law firm has opened an investigation into SkyWater’s board over whether the sale provides fair value, introducing potential legal or timing risk to the deal and adding headline uncertainty. Shareholder Notice: Brodsky & Smith investigation
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and financial risk — the $1.8B acquisition is large relative to IonQ’s market and will require integration, possible financing/dilution and near‑term execution; these raise downside risk if integration or economics fall short. Business Wire deal announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research upgraded IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of IonQ in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wedbush began coverage on IonQ in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of IonQ in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They set a “buy” rating and a $100.00 price objective for the company. Nine investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.91.

IonQ Price Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $48.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $51.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a PE ratio of -8.51 and a beta of 2.63.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($3.58) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($3.14). The business had revenue of $39.87 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.99 million. IonQ had a negative net margin of 1,836.32% and a negative return on equity of 127.06%. IonQ’s revenue for the quarter was up 221.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.24) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that IonQ, Inc. will post -0.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CRO Rima Alameddine sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.89, for a total value of $4,689,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive directly owned 432,616 shares in the company, valued at $20,285,364.24. The trade was a 18.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director William J. Teuber, Jr. purchased 2,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $54.81 per share, for a total transaction of $109,620.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 6,413 shares in the company, valued at $351,496.53. The trade was a 45.32% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 125,000 shares of company stock worth $5,992,000 over the last three months. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On IonQ

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Archer Investment Corp grew its stake in IonQ by 119.3% in the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its stake in IonQ by 700.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of IonQ by 485.7% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of IonQ by 112.5% in the third quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of IonQ by 3,800.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 608 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 41.42% 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.