IonQ Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:IONQ)

16 Apr 2026, 17:58 by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat Gem

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ – Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 122,385 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 110% compared to the average daily volume of 58,223 call options.

IonQ Stock Performance

NYSE:IONQ traded up $1.36 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $44.61. 78,445,170 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,154,514. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.92 and a beta of 2.80. The company has a fifty day moving average of $32.87 and a 200 day moving average of $46.30. IonQ has a 12 month low of $23.49 and a 12 month high of $84.64.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IONQ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on IonQ from $80.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of IonQ in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $37.00 price target on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of IonQ in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of IonQ in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.45.

View Our Latest Research Report on IonQ

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Robert T. Cardillo sold 5,165 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.44, for a total value of $203,707.60. Following the transaction, the insider owned 112,291 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,428,757.04. This represents a 4.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider John W. Raymond sold 2,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.34, for a total value of $93,352.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 83,963 shares in the company, valued at $2,799,326.42. The trade was a 3.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,581 shares of company stock worth $316,156. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of IonQ

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in IonQ by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,774,743 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,343,000 after purchasing an additional 5,420,037 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in 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 during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of IonQ by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,074,301 shares of the company’s stock worth $361,624,000 after buying an additional 1,452,463 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of IonQ in the 4th quarter worth approximately $199,753,000. Finally, Marex Group plc increased its stake in shares of IonQ by 419.1% during the fourth quarter. Marex Group plc now owns 4,083,453 shares of the company’s stock valued at $183,225,000 after buying an additional 3,296,866 shares during the period. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

IonQ News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

Positive Sentiment: Won a DARPA HARQ contract to develop high-speed quantum interconnects, validating IonQ’s roadmap for scalable quantum networks and attracting defense funding. IonQ Selected for DARPA’s Heterogeneous Architectures for Quantum (HARQ) Program
Positive Sentiment: Announced a photonic entanglement/networking breakthrough linking two commercial trapped‑ion systems — a technical milestone that supports commercialization and drove prior multi‑day rallies. IonQ Stock Surges 20% Today: What Is Driving IONQ Higher
Positive Sentiment: NVIDIA’s recent moves (Ising models / quantum tooling) are being viewed as sector-level validation that benefits IonQ by improving the software/AI-quantum stack and investor sentiment. NVIDIA’s Quantum Computing Play Just Sent IonQ and Rigetti Flying
Positive Sentiment: Strong top-line momentum: reports highlight >400% YoY revenue growth and company guidance pointing toward materially higher 2026 revenue, a key fundamental reason investors are bidding up the stock. Could IonQ Be the Next Multibagger?
Positive Sentiment: Unusually heavy trading volume suggests broad investor attention and momentum behind the move. IonQ Rises 4%, D-Wave Surges 5%, Rigetti Gains 3: The Quantum Rally Is Now a Three-Day Phenomenon
Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming Q1 2026 earnings release scheduled for May 6 — a near-term catalyst that could confirm whether revenue/margin trends sustain current optimism. IonQ to Report First Quarter 2026 Financial Results on May 6, 2026
Negative Sentiment: A trade tied to Rep. Greg Steube was flagged by a tracker as potentially suspicious, drawing regulatory/PR attention that could create short‑term noise. IONQ stock trade by Greg Steube should raise ‘some flags,’ says tracker made popular by Nancy Pelosi’s stock moves
Negative Sentiment: Valuation and cash‑burn concerns: analysts warn the current price already embeds high expectations for growth while the company remains unprofitable and spending to scale, raising execution risk if momentum fades. Should You Buy Sell or Hold IonQ at $42 – Is the Quantum Rally Back?

About IonQ

(Get Free Report)

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.