In this piece, we will take a look at the 12 best quantum computing stocks to invest in.
These days, artificial intelligence is one of the hottest topics on the stock market and the media. This is because of the improvements in data analysis and decision making offered by AI models. These have augmented pre AI data analysis and text production technologies, and consequently, Wall Street has piled billions of dollars into the industry.
As AI is to data science, quantum computing is to classical computing. Or at least in some aspects. The fundamental difference between a classical and quantum computer is physics. Classical computers operate under the principles of classic physics, which means that it is easy to determine whether a semiconductor’s processor is in the on (1) or off (0) state. In quantum computing’s case, a transistor’s equivalent is an elemental particle capable of existing in multiple states. So, a quantum ‘transistor’ could be on and off at the same time, to provide programmers with more flexibility to solve problems.
This ability to process more inputs means that quantum computing offers complex problems that traditional computers might not have enough capacity for. This is one reason that some estimates expect the quantum computing industry to be worth a modest $11.4 billion by 2027 despite a rapid compounded annual growth rate of 33%.
At the same time, quantum computing stocks are riskier than even traditional and typically high growth companies. This is because their products do not have sizeable markets and require considerable investment and research and development expenditure which might even take longer to recover than for biotechnology stocks.
These facts also make it trickier to analyze quantum computing stock performance since there are considerably fewer publicly traded companies to offer the convenience of simply seeing how an exchange traded fund has performed. For instance, consider the holdings of the Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM). Some of its top holdings include software firm MicroStrategy and the memory manufacturer Micron. Neither of these companies generates material income from making products that are essential for a quantum computer to perform. Another major holding is NVIDIA, and while it does make a product for a quantum processing unit’s (QPU) quantum controller, most, if not all of its share price gains have been due to artificial intelligence.
This means that we need to analyze individual quantum computing stocks to see how they have performed recently. Heading into the year’s second half, investors have battled with high inflation, high interest rates, geopolitical tensions, turmoil in banking, and euphoria surrounding artificial intelligence since 2022.
Some quantum computing stocks that are commonly known are Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI), IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ), and D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS). Over the past five years, their shares have lost 89%, 24%, and 89%, respectively. Mind you though, this doesn’t mean that quantum computing stocks never go up. For instance, take the example of IonQ. The firm listed its shares for trading in October after a merger, and between October 8th and November 19th, the stock soared by a whopping 233%. For comparison, Wall Street’s AI darling NVIDIA’s shares have gained 239% over the past twelve months.
So, the next question to ask is, what happened to this quantum computing stock? Well, part of the reason is a Goldman Sachs investment note that was released in November 2022. The note wondered when businesses would start adopting quantum computing into their operations, and whether the company’s technology roadmap could align with this shift, as uncertainty persisted over “which forms of quantum computer ultimately captures market share,” according to analyst Toshiya Hari. After losing 14% in the wake of Hari’s comments, the stock would proceed to bottom out over the new year in January, but its performance graph changes when we zoom into 2024’s performance. April 2024 seems to have been the month for IonQ’s shares as the stock is up by 17% since the 19th.
With these details in mind, let’s take a look at the best quantum computing stocks to invest in.
A quantum computer on a countertop in an engineering laboratory with a technician at work.
Our Methodology
To make our list of the best quantum computing stocks, we first made a list of pure play quantum computing companies and those that make crucial products for the industry. These stocks were ranked by the number of hedge funds that had held shares according to the last round of 13F filings. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
12. Quantum eMotion Corp. (OTC:QNCCF)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: N/A
Quantum eMotion Corp. (OTC:QNCCF) is a Canadian company. It is a specialized quantum computing firm that focuses on designing and selling products that use quantum number generation to provide secure networks. While it’s been relatively quiet on the news front for Quantum eMotion Corp. (OTC:QNCCF) as of late, the firm made a significant announcement in February 2024. This made Quantum eMotion Corp. (OTC:QNCCF) one of the few quantum semiconductor designers in the world to have developed a quantum system in package (SiP) solution.
11. Zapata Computing Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ZPTA)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: N/A
Zapata Computing Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ZPTA) is one of the youngest quantum computing companies in the world. It is a software focused quantum computing company that describes itself as using software to aid industrial applications of the technology. These include pharmaceuticals, chemical, and materials science industries.
10. Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: 2
Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT) is a diversified quantum computing company. It makes and sells hardware and software based products. These include cryptographic cyber security software, quantum computers, and other devices. Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT) has been making quiet but big moves in 2024. The firm secured a NASA associated contract for denoising footage from low Earth orbit (LEO) in February 2024. This was followed by the sale of a LiDAR prototype to Johns Hopkins University.
For their first quarter of 2024 stakes, just two hedge funds in Insider Monkey’s database had bought a stake in Quantum Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:QUBT). Among these, the one with the largest stake was Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group as it held $164,926 worth of shares.
9. Arqit Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQQ)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: 4
Arqit Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQQ) is a British software firm headquartered in London. It uses the principles of quantum computing and satellites to create secure networks. Only HC Wainwright covers the stock, and it reiterated a Buy rating in May 2024. The firm’s share price target for Arqit Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQQ) is $2.
As this year’s first quarter ended, four out of the 933 hedge funds profiled by Insider Monkey were Arqit Quantum Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQQ)’s stakeholders.
8. Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: 12
Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) is an important quantum computing stock. This is because it makes quantum computers, operating systems that run on these computers, and quantum processors capable of handling complex tasks. This makes Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) a one stop quantum computing shop. Benchmark and Needham reiterated their Buy ratings for the shares in May 2024 while Alliance Global initiated coverage with a Buy rating in March. The three firms’ respective Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) share price targets are $3, $3, and $3.5.
Insider Monkey’s database of hedge fund filings for Q1 2024 shows that 12 hedge funds hold a stake in Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI). One sizeable stake belongs to Israel Englander’s Millennium Management. It is worth $2.3 million and comes via 1.5 million shares.
7. D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: 12
D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) is another Canadian quantum computing industry. It offers cloud based access to quantum computing resources along with other software services. The firm made a major announcement in May 2024 when it revealed that it had partnered up with the University of South California to further work on an efficient type of quantum computing called annealing quantum computing.
By March 2024, hedge fund filing data tracked by Insider Monkey revealed that 12 were D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)’s stakeholders.
6. IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors In Q1 2024: 15
IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) is an American quantum computing company that makes its own computers and then provides them through platforms run by mega cap technology giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft’s cloud platforms. The firm reported its latest set of financial results in May 2024. These saw IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) post -$0.19 in EPS and $7.58 million in revenue. These beat analyst estimates of -$0.25 and $7.07 million, respectively.
After compiling hedge fund funds covering 2024’s March quarter, Insider Monkey found 15 IonQ, Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) stakeholders.