3 Quantum Stocks With Big Upside And Strong Buy Ratings

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Jan 2, 2026, 1:35 PM

3 quantum stocks with big upside and strong buy ratings

For equity investors looking beyond incremental AI investments, quantum computing is emerging as one of the most lucrative opportunities heading into 2026. Industry estimates show the global quantum computing market is expected to grow from $0.8 billion in 2025 to $1.08 billion in 2026, with a projected CAGR of 35.2% through 2035 as enterprises accelerate adoption... McKinsey estimates quantum computing-related revenues could reach up to $72 billion by 2035, driven by applications in optimization, materials science, drug discovery and complex financial modeling. For investors, this growth narrative has already translated into outsized stock performance, with several pure-play quantum stocks delivering quadruple-digit returns during 2024–2025 despite the absence of positive earnings, as revenues scaled from a small... The Defiance Quantum ETF QTUM gained 103.9% during this period. In this article, we discuss three stocks- IonQ IONQ, International Business Machines IBM and NVIDIA NVDA that are expected to deliver significant gains in 2026, banking on accelerating quantum adoption, expanding commercial pipelines and...

While revenues remain modest and profitability elusive, the convergence of accelerating enterprise interest, rising government and corporate funding and visible technical progress is positioning 2026 as a potential inflection year, when valuation dispersion between... For investors willing to tolerate volatility, quantum computing increasingly resembles a high-beta, early-cycle technology bet rather than a distant scientific experiment. Capital deployment into the sector is surging, with quantum funding more than doubling year over year in 2025. Going by SPINQ, total equity funding reached $3.77 billion across the first three quarters of 2025, positioning quantum computing among the fastest-growing deep-tech segments globally and setting the stage for further capital inflows in... Quantum computing companies are securing billion-dollar funding rounds and strategic acquisitions, with IonQ's $1.075 billion Oxford Ionics deal signaling sector consolidation. Government urgency around "Q-Day" encryption threats is driving regulatory support and funding into quantum security applications.

Despite sky-high valuations, early commercial milestones and technological breakthroughs suggest the space is transitioning from research to revenue. Wall Street still treats quantum computing as science fiction, but the smartest capital allocators are betting billions that it's the next trillion-dollar frontier. BlackRock, Temasek, and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) just backed PsiQuantum's $1 billion funding round at a $7 billion valuation. When Nvidia starts writing checks to quantum start-ups, it's not just capital. It's ecosystem validation. The disconnect between public market skepticism and private market euphoria creates opportunity.

Governments are treating quantum supremacy as a national security imperative, terrified of losing encryption superiority when "Q-Day" arrives. Meanwhile, enterprises are already paying for quantum services today, proving demand exists before the technology even matures. Think of where artificial intelligence (AI) stood 10 years ago -- speculative, overhyped, but ultimately transformational. These three quantum pioneers offer different paths to capture that same asymmetric upside. Pure-play quantum computing stocks got Wall Street's attention in 2025 as JPMorgan, Jefferies, Evercore ISI, Cantor Fitzgerald and Mizuho Securities initiated coverage on some companies while Barclays and Bank of America published in-depth reports... Heading into 2026, IonQ (IONQ) and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) hold the most buy ratings along with the highest price targets on average…

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Get market updates, educational videos, webinars, and stock analysis. As trade tensions heat up, investors look beyond traditional tech and into the future. So, enter quantum computing stocks. While the market is still young, three standout companies are getting serious attention from Wall Street analysts and looking extremely promising for the long term. Let’s briefly examine why IonQ (IONQ), Rigetti Computing (RGTI), and D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) are considered promising stocks with vast upside potential. IonQ builds general-purpose quantum computers and lets users access them through cloud giants like Amazon AWS (AMZN) and Microsoft Azure (MSFT).

Even with recent ups and downs in its stock price, analysts are largely optimistic. Out of six analysts, four say “Buy” or “Strong Buy,” and two say “Hold.” The average price target is $41.60, which represents a 101.16% upside potential. Rigetti is engaged with hybrid quantum-classical systems. Think supercharged computing with real-world use in finance and pharma. All six analysts currently covering the stock rate it as a “Buy.” The average price target stands at $14.80, and the upside is 97.33%. This kind of confidence shows Rigetti is earning serious investor interest.

D-Wave stands out with its Advantage quantum computer, which is known for solving highly complex problems thanks to its unique qubit design. Analysts are bullish here too: All recent ratings reiterated on QBTS stock, from Benchmark to Craig-Hallum, rate it a “Strong Buy,” and price targets range from $8 to $12.00, with a “modest” upside of... These three companies aren’t just surviving the current economic uncertainty but shaping the future. IonQ, Rigetti, and D-Wave are stocks to watch for investors seeking next-gen tech opportunities with high growth potential. Quantum computing stocks experienced heavy trading activity on Friday as three major players dominated market attention. IonQ, D-Wave Quantum, and Rigetti Computing recorded the highest dollar trading volumes among quantum computing companies over the past several days.

IonQ (IONQ) shares fell $0.92 to close at $37.79 on Friday. The company traded 19.3 million shares, slightly above its average daily volume of 18.7 million shares. The stock maintains a market capitalization of $9.89 billion with a 52-week trading range between $6.22 and $54.74. IonQ operates by selling access to quantum computers through major cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure Quantum, and Google Cloud Marketplace. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS) dropped $0.76 to finish at $15.12 per share. Trading volume reached 41.4 million shares compared to the average of 46 million shares daily.

The company holds a $4.42 billion market cap and trades within a 12-month range of $0.75 to $19.77. D-Wave develops quantum computing systems and offers cloud-based quantum computing services through its Leap platform.

3 Quantum Stocks With Big Upside And Strong Buy Ratings

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