IonQ Jumps 4% on BoA Buy Rating; Rigetti and D-Wave Quantum Gain 2%

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ | IONQ Price Prediction) stock jumped 4% to $45.60 on Wednesday after Bank of America initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $60 price target. Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) shares advanced 2% to $16.13, while D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) stock also rose 2% to $16.84. The quantum computing group found support as investors digested the fresh analyst call on IonQ.

The Defiance Quantum ETF (NYSE ARCA:QTUM) gained 0.27% to $152.28. Broader markets moved higher, with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE ARCA:SPY) up 0.66% to $769.24. Attention centered on IonQ’s revenue trajectory, hardware deployments, and commercial roadmap even as losses and execution risks remained in focus.

Bank of America Starts IonQ at Buy

Bank of America highlighted IonQ as the largest public pure-play quantum company by revenue. The firm pointed to the company’s semiconductor-enabled path for scaling qubit counts along with broad customer engagement across quantum computing, communications, and sensing. Bank of America applied a blended enterprise-value-to-sales multiple to longer-term revenue projections that include both quantum hardware and foundry-related sales.

IonQ has expanded its reach through acquisitions that add nearer-term products and additional commercialization paths. The recent SkyWater deal in particular brought foundry capacity and helped lift the company’s fiscal 2026 revenue guidance midpoint. Losses continue as the industry works toward more reliable, error-corrected systems.

Rigetti and D-Wave Quantum Also Advance

Rigetti stock participated in the session’s strength across the quantum group. The company develops superconducting quantum processors and related software platforms aimed at commercial and research users. Rigetti shares have remained volatile as investors weigh progress on hardware roadmaps against ongoing funding needs and competition.

D-Wave Quantum stock likewise posted a gain. D-Wave focuses on annealing-based quantum systems that target optimization problems for enterprise customers. Both Rigetti and D-Wave Quantum operate in a still-early commercial market where technical milestones and customer adoption remain central to valuation debates.

Quantum Group Sees Measured Support

The Defiance Quantum ETF’s modest advance indicated that the day’s move was concentrated in the pure-play names rather than a broad sector surge. Quantum computing stocks have experienced sharp swings this year as investors balance long-term potential against the reality of current error rates and limited near-term revenue visibility. IonQ’s larger revenue base relative to peers has helped the company stand out in recent analyst coverage.

Similarities across IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave Quantum include heavy investment in research and development and dependence on continued capital markets access. Differences appear in technology approaches, with IonQ emphasizing trapped-ion systems, Rigetti pursuing superconducting circuits, and D-Wave Quantum specializing in quantum annealing.

Outlook and Investor Considerations

Bank of America’s $60 target implies meaningful upside from current levels, though other firms carry a range of higher and lower objectives. Commercial adoption remains early because today’s qubits are still error-prone, and useful fault-tolerant machines are widely expected later in the decade. IonQ’s expanded foundry capabilities and Superion system plans for 2027 offer additional catalysts that investors will monitor closely.

Investors should consider keeping position sizes modest given the high volatility typical of quantum computing stocks and the execution risks that accompany ambitious hardware roadmaps. Progress on revenue growth and system reliability could support further gains, yet setbacks in either area may pressure shares across the group.

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