IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.28 EPS

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.48) by $0.28, FiscalAI reports. IonQ had a negative return on equity of 127.06% and a negative net margin of 1,836.32%.The firm had revenue of $61.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.38 million.

IonQ Trading Up 6.4%

IonQ stock traded up $2.01 on Wednesday, reaching $33.63. 23,809,461 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,014,248. IonQ has a twelve month low of $17.88 and a twelve month high of $84.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $43.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.51. The stock has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a PE ratio of -6.29 and a beta of 2.63.

Key IonQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Won a sizable defense award: IonQ was named to the Missile Defense Agency’s SHIELD IDIQ (ceiling $151B), positioning the company for multiple potential government engagements that could drive revenue and credibility in defense markets. IonQ Selected to Support Missile Defense Agency SHIELD IDIQ Contract
• Positive Sentiment: Expanding federal go-to-market: IonQ added hires to its federal GTM team to pursue military and civilian quantum contracts — a move that supports the SHIELD opportunity and increases the company’s ability to capture government spend. IonQ Expands Federal GTM Team as It Pursues Defense, Civilian Quantum Work
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term product and commercial roadmap: IonQ laid out a roadmap and foundry strategy through 2030 (including 256-qubit milestones and a reported $1.8B foundry deal) that, if executed, targets meaningful revenue scale. This underpins the bullish strategic case. IonQ’s Quantum Roadmap and Foundry Strategy Through 2030
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming Q4 report is the focus: Multiple previews flag tonight’s earnings as the immediate catalyst — revenue growth and guidance will matter more than EPS for a growth-stage quantum company. Expect volatility around the print. IonQ Earnings Preview: What To Expcet From Upcoming Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer-comparison and expectations: Analysts are comparing IonQ to peers (e.g., QBTS) to judge which name has the stronger momentum and path to scale; that framing means relative guidance and growth metrics will influence sentiment. IONQ or QBTS: Which Stock Has the Edge Ahead of Q4 Earnings This Week?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor sentiment has shifted since last year’s surge: institutional flows that drove earlier gains have cooled, leaving the name more sensitive to near-term execution and catalysts. Institutional Investors and Hedge Funds Sent an Unmistakable Message to Quantum Computing Stocks IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades and target cuts: Some price targets were trimmed ahead of earnings and the stock has shown a large peak-to-trough move recently, increasing downside risk if results disappoint. IonQ’s Price Target Takes a Hit As The Stock Heads Into Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation scrutiny ahead of earnings: Commentary frames tonight’s report as a binary test of IonQ’s ~ $16B market cap — failure to show clear, accelerating commercial traction could trigger a larger sell-off. IonQ Faces a $16 Billion Valuation Test When Earnings Drop Tonight

Insider Activity at IonQ

In related news, Director Kathryn K. Chou sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.40, for a total transaction of $1,028,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 60,839 shares in the company, valued at $3,127,124.60. This represents a 24.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On IonQ

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IONQ. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC increased its position in IonQ by 117.4% during the third quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of IonQ during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of IonQ by 50.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in shares of IonQ in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of IonQ in the second quarter valued at about $47,000. 41.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research raised IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of IonQ in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Wedbush began coverage on shares of IonQ in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 target price for the company. Mizuho began coverage on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of IonQ in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.82.

About IonQ

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.