D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) Stock Price Down 4.2% After Insider Selling

D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) was down 4.2% on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $22.85 and last traded at $22.94. Approximately 27,390,772 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 15% from the average daily volume of 32,336,934 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.94.

Specifically, CFO John M. Markovich sold 200,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.71, for a total value of $5,142,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,142,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,381,902.20. This trade represents a 14.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO John M. Markovich sold 46,043 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.01, for a total value of $1,105,492.43. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 1,342,820 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,241,108.20. This trade represents a 3.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In other D-Wave Quantum news, Director Rohit Ghai sold 13,518 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.41, for a total value of $357,010.38. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 23,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $623,724.97. This trade represents a 36.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on QBTS shares. Mizuho raised their target price on D-Wave Quantum from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of D-Wave Quantum in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of D-Wave Quantum from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on shares of D-Wave Quantum from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of D-Wave Quantum from $30.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, D-Wave Quantum presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $36.80.

Trending Headlines about D-Wave Quantum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-day momentum and D-Wave’s updated quantum roadmap have kept the long-term growth story intact, with Mizuho reportedly raising its price target after the event. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage commentary continues to highlight D-Wave as a leading pure-play quantum stock, and technical analysis suggests the recent breakout may still have room to run. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broad enthusiasm for quantum-computing stocks earlier in the week helped lift QBTS alongside sector-wide risk-on trading. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing QBTS to “the NVIDIA of quantum computing” underscores upside potential, but also highlights that the stock’s valuation leaves little margin for error. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are still debating whether D-Wave can defend its position against faster-growing rivals, keeping the focus on competitive execution rather than near-term fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: QBTS and other quantum names gave back much of the prior session’s gains, suggesting traders were locking in profits after the recent rally. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider sales by CFO John M. Markovich and director Rohit Ghai may have added pressure, even though both were disclosed as tax-related or pre-planned transactions. Article Title

D-Wave Quantum Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.30. The stock has a market cap of $8.49 billion, a PE ratio of -20.30 and a beta of 2.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 21.41 and a quick ratio of 21.31.

D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.08) by $0.03. D-Wave Quantum had a negative return on equity of 44.06% and a negative net margin of 2,957.23%.The firm had revenue of $2.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.19 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.02) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 80.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that D-Wave Quantum Inc. will post -0.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On D-Wave Quantum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in QBTS. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its stake in D-Wave Quantum by 388.0% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 776 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in D-Wave Quantum by 545.5% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,788 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,511 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in D-Wave Quantum during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. PeakShares LLC acquired a new position in D-Wave Quantum during the first quarter worth $29,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in D-Wave Quantum by 267.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 42.47% of the company’s stock.

About D-Wave Quantum

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.