IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) Trading Down 4.7% – Here’s Why

23 Dec 2025, 17:32 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ – Get Free Report)’s stock price fell 4.7% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $51.15 and last traded at $51.3420. 15,116,731 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 24,166,318 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.86.

Key IonQ News

Here are the key news stories impacting IonQ this week:

Positive Sentiment: Finalized deal to deliver a 100‑qubit Tempo system to South Korea’s national center — a concrete commercial win that expands IonQ’s footprint in government/high‑performance customers and supports revenue visibility. IonQ and KISTI Finalize Agreement
Positive Sentiment: Expanded contract with QuantumBasel (extension for Forte Enterprise ownership and next‑gen Tempo access) — reinforces recurring revenue and customer stickiness for enterprise/hybrid AI use cases. IonQ Expands Agreement with QuantumBasel
Positive Sentiment: Heavy institutional accumulation: multiple big funds (Morgan Stanley, Vanguard, BlackRock, Renaissance) added large stakes in Q3 — institutional demand can support the stock and provide a floor for volatility. IonQ Opinions on Recent Quantum Computing Advances
Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage is bullish overall (multiple buys/outperforms and price targets ranging above current levels), which can drive momentum and higher expectations for 2026. Analyst Ratings & Targets
Neutral Sentiment: Retail‑led “Santa Rally” and broader quantum stock momentum are lifting shares short term, but these moves can be fragile once institutional desks return from holiday. D‑Wave, Rigetti, IonQ Stocks Climb
Neutral Sentiment: Industry pieces debate whether quantum names can follow an “NVDA‑style” playbook — useful for sentiment but speculative for fundamentals near term. Can IONQ Follow NVDA’s Playbook?
Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling over the past six months (numerous executive sales, few buys) raises governance/near‑term supply concerns and may weigh on investor sentiment. Insider Trading Activity
Negative Sentiment: Execution and valuation risk remain: the business still reports negative earnings and high volatility; disappointments vs. high analyst expectations or slow commercial ramp could push the stock lower. Mixed Concerns

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of IonQ from $35.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho started coverage on IonQ in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $90.00 price objective on the stock. B. Riley raised their price objective on IonQ from $75.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Zacks Research upgraded IonQ from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of IonQ in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $72.08.

View Our Latest Report on IONQ

IonQ Trading Down 4.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $17.84 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.60 and a beta of 2.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $53.66 and a 200-day moving average of $50.17.

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported ($3.58) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.44) by ($3.14). IonQ had a negative net margin of 1,836.32% and a negative return on equity of 127.06%. The business had revenue of $39.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $26.99 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.24) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 221.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that IonQ, Inc. will post -0.86 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CRO Rima Alameddine sold 100,000 shares of IonQ stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.89, for a total transaction of $4,689,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive owned 432,616 shares in the company, valued at $20,285,364.24. This trade represents a 18.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William J. Teuber, Jr. bought 2,000 shares of the company’s 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 purchase, the director directly owned 6,413 shares in the company, valued at approximately $351,496.53. This represents a 45.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Archer Investment Corp grew its position in shares of IonQ by 119.3% during the 2nd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 592 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in IonQ by 700.0% in the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. grew its holdings in IonQ by 485.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 410 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in IonQ by 112.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 425 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in shares of IonQ in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. 41.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.