IonQ, Inc. (NYSE: IONQ), a leading quantum computing company, saw its shares rocket more than 21% Thursday after reporting fourth-quarter results that far exceeded expectations and issuing optimistic revenue guidance for 2026 that topped Wall Street forecasts.

IONQ
IONQ

The stock closed regular trading at $40.88, up $7.29 or 21.70% from the previous close of $33.59, on massive volume exceeding 69 million shares — well above its average. Intraday trading ranged from a low of $38.75 to a high of $41.90, reflecting strong investor enthusiasm following the earnings release.

IonQ reported fourth-quarter revenue of $61.9 million, a staggering 429% increase from $11.7 million in the prior-year period. The figure beat the company's own guidance midpoint by 55% and surpassed analyst expectations. For full-year 2025, revenue reached $130 million, up 202% year-over-year and 20% above the guidance midpoint, marking the first time a publicly traded quantum computing firm surpassed $100 million in annual GAAP revenue.

Adjusted loss per share narrowed to $0.20, better than the consensus estimate of a $0.23 loss. The results highlighted accelerating commercial demand, with more than 60% of 2025 revenue from commercial customers and over 30% from international sales. Organic growth approached 80% year-over-year.

CEO Niccolo de Masi described the performance as evidence of IonQ's evolution into the "world's only full-stack quantum platform company." He emphasized strong backlog, pipeline visibility and momentum positioning the firm for continued expansion.

For 2026, IonQ guided full-year revenue between $225 million and $245 million, with a midpoint of $235 million — about 22% above the average analyst estimate of roughly $193 million. First-quarter revenue is projected at $48 million to $51 million. The outlook implies roughly 81% year-over-year growth at the midpoint, driven by sustained demand for trapped-ion quantum systems, software and services.

The company anticipates an adjusted EBITDA loss of $310 million to $330 million for 2026, reflecting heavy investments in scaling operations, R&D and recent acquisitions. IonQ maintains a robust cash position of approximately $3.3 billion, providing runway for these initiatives.

A key catalyst in the report was IonQ's announcement of deploying one of Europe's largest operational quantum key distribution networks in Romania as part of the RoNaQCI project. The deployment underscores growing adoption in quantum networking and security applications across government and enterprise sectors.

IonQ also highlighted progress toward major milestones, including shipments of its Tempo system in 2026 and a planned 256-qubit demonstration. The company is pursuing a $1.8 billion acquisition of SkyWater Technology, a quantum chip foundry, to bolster manufacturing capabilities and reduce costs for future high-qubit systems.

Analysts reacted positively overall, though some adjusted targets modestly. Jefferies maintained a Buy rating but trimmed its price target, while JP Morgan lowered its target from $47 to $42 while keeping a Neutral stance. The average one-year price target from 12 analysts stands around $71, implying significant upside from current levels, with highs reaching $100.

Technical indicators show IonQ breaking key resistance near $40, with the surge pushing it well above recent trading ranges but still below its 52-week high of $84.64 from October 2025. The 52-week low sits at $17.88. The stock's beta of around 2.6 indicates high volatility, typical for emerging tech in quantum computing.

Market observers note IonQ's results as a potential inflection point for the quantum sector, demonstrating commercial traction amid competition from rivals like Rigetti, Quantinuum and IBM. The company's trapped-ion approach has achieved notable performance benchmarks, including a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity in 2025.

Despite the rally, IonQ remains unprofitable on an adjusted basis, with full-year 2025 net losses at $510.4 million and adjusted EBITDA loss of $186.8 million. Investors are betting on the long-term transformative potential of quantum computing in fields like drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity and defense.

The stock's performance contrasts with broader market trends Thursday, where some tech names faced pressure. IonQ's surge stood out as a bright spot in speculative growth sectors.

As quantum adoption accelerates, IonQ's focus on full-stack solutions, international expansion and strategic partnerships positions it as a frontrunner. Traders will monitor execution on 2026 milestones, backlog conversion and any updates on the SkyWater deal for further catalysts.

For now, the earnings beat and raised outlook have reignited enthusiasm, sending shares to their strongest close in recent months and signaling renewed confidence in quantum computing's commercial path.