Analysis of Rigetti Computing's Stock Decline
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 4 days ago
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Should l Buy RGTI?
Source: Fool
- Stock Fluctuation: Since going public via SPAC four years ago, Rigetti Computing's stock has dropped from an initial $9.75 to about $17, down from a record high of $56.34 last October, indicating market concerns about its future prospects.
- Revenue Dependency: Although Rigetti's business model appears promising, it still generates most of its revenue from government and research contracts rather than sales of its quantum processing units (QPUs), which limits its profitability and market expansion potential.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: Rigetti faces intense competition from newer quantum computing companies that utilize technologies not requiring cooling, potentially undermining Rigetti's market position, especially as its older electron-based systems encounter technological limitations.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: While analysts project Rigetti's revenue to rise from $7.1 million to $110.8 million between 2025 and 2028, its market cap exceeds 50 times its projected 2028 sales, and it is expected to remain unprofitable, which diminishes investor confidence in its future.
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Analyst Views on RGTI
Wall Street analysts forecast RGTI stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 16.080
Low
30.00
Averages
39.75
High
51.00
Current: 16.080
Low
30.00
Averages
39.75
High
51.00
About RGTI
Rigetti Computing, Inc. is a full-stack quantum computing company. The Company operates quantum computers over the cloud and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The Company’s quantum-classical infrastructure provides high-performance integration with public and private clouds for practical quantum computing. It has developed a multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. Through the Company’s Quantum Computing as a Service (QCaaS) platform, its machines can be integrated into any public, private or hybrid cloud. It is also engaged in the sale of quantum processing units (QPUs) and custom computing components, and development contracts and other services. Its QPUs contain fabricated silicon-based chips featuring superconducting qubits. The Company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, an integrated quantum device manufacturing facility.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Market Valuation Comparison: Rigetti Computing is valued at $5.5 billion, significantly higher than Quantum Computing's $2 billion, indicating greater market confidence in Rigetti's leadership position in the quantum computing sector.
- Product Comprehensive Advantage: Rigetti offers a more comprehensive product lineup, including quantum processing chips and control systems, and has developed a quantum cloud services platform, making it more appealing to customers and driving its annual revenue to exceed Quantum Computing's by over ten times.
- Technology Application Differences: Quantum Computing focuses on photonics and manufactures quantum computing components, but its business leans more towards component manufacturing rather than complete quantum computers, limiting its market potential and revenue growth.
- Investment Risk Assessment: Although both stocks are speculative and carry high risks, Rigetti is viewed as a more attractive investment option in the current market environment, especially during price dips, which may yield better returns.
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- Quantum Economic Potential: Analysts at Boston Consulting Group estimate that quantum computing could generate up to $850 billion in global economic value by 2040, highlighting its significance in future technology and attracting investor interest.
- Stock Performance Comparison: As of mid-October 2025, shares of IonQ, Rigetti Computing, and D-Wave Quantum surged by 6,200% over the past 12 months; however, these stocks face historical challenges, indicating market over-optimism regarding quantum computing.
- Investor Preference Shift: Despite the impressive performance of pure-play quantum stocks, billionaire investors prefer Alphabet due to its multiple profitable business segments and active involvement in quantum computing, showcasing its long-term investment value.
- Alphabet's Market Advantages: Alphabet commands approximately 90% of global internet search traffic and demonstrated a 48% sales growth in Google Cloud, reflecting strong advertising pricing power and competitive advantages in the cloud services market, further solidifying its leadership in quantum computing.
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- Significant Revenue Growth: IonQ achieved $130 million in revenue for 2025, marking a 202% year-over-year increase, primarily driven by an 80% organic revenue growth, establishing it as the first pure-play quantum computing company to surpass $100 million in annual GAAP revenue, underscoring its leadership in the quantum computing sector.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management anticipates revenue will further surge to between $225 million and $245 million in 2026, reflecting strong market demand for quantum computing and IonQ's competitive technological edge, despite ongoing profitability challenges.
- Technical Advantage: IonQ's trapped-ion technology has achieved a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, enabling customers to realize a 10 billion-fold performance increase on the same-sized device, which has attracted over 60% of commercial clients and 30% of international clients, enhancing its market competitiveness.
- Massive Market Potential: Although IonQ reported a net loss of $510.4 million in 2025, McKinsey projects quantum computing revenue will grow from $4 billion in 2024 to $72 billion by 2035, presenting significant growth opportunities for IonQ, albeit with substantial investment risks still in play.
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- Significant Revenue Growth: In 2025, IonQ achieved $130 million in annual revenue, representing a 202% year-over-year increase, primarily driven by 80% organic revenue growth, highlighting the strong demand in the quantum computing market and the company's leading position in the industry.
- Technical Advantage: IonQ's trapped-ion technology has reached a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, allowing customers to achieve a 10 billion-fold performance increase on the same-sized device, which has attracted a diverse customer base, with commercial clients accounting for over 60% of sales.
- Future Growth Expectations: Management expects revenue to reach between $225 million and $245 million in 2026, reflecting confidence in future market potential, while aiming for 2 million physical qubits and 80,000 logical qubits by 2030, which could drive significant advancements in commercial applications like drug discovery and machine learning.
- Market Risks and Opportunities: Despite significant revenue growth, IonQ's market cap is around $16 billion, with a current trailing sales multiple of 96 times, which is still high compared to most stocks, prompting investors to carefully consider investment risks, although the potential for 10x returns remains viable.
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- Stock Price Volatility: Rigetti Computing's stock surged by 275% in recent months but returned to its original price by February, indicating market uncertainty about its future, prompting investors to carefully assess buying opportunities.
- Unique Quantum Computing Approach: By tiling 36-qubit chiplets into a 108-qubit system, Rigetti achieves 99.5% to 99.9% reliability; however, its financial health is concerning, with 2025 revenue at $7.1 million, down 34% year-over-year.
- Financial Challenges and Outlook: Despite facing a $216 million loss in 2025 and negative free cash flow of $77 million, analysts forecast a 219% revenue growth this year, which could spark investor optimism.
- Investment Risk Advisory: While Rigetti's P/E ratio is uncalculable and its P/S ratio exceeds 730, its financial condition requires significant improvement, advising investors to approach with caution, suggesting speculative buys or complete avoidance of the stock.
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- Revenue Decline: Rigetti Computing reported a revenue of $7.1 million in 2025, reflecting a 34% decrease primarily due to the delayed launch of the 108-qubit Cepheus-1 system and a pause in government contract reauthorization, leading to significant financial strain.
- Substantial Losses: The company faced a $216 million loss in 2025, exceeding the $201 million loss in 2024, indicating severe challenges in achieving profitability as operating costs continue to outpace revenue.
- Future Outlook: Despite the revenue decline in 2025, analysts forecast a dramatic 219% revenue growth in 2026 and a 103% increase in 2027, which could foster investor optimism, although near-term profitability remains unlikely.
- Liquidity Position: Rigetti reported a negative free cash flow of $77 million in 2025, but with approximately $444 million in liquidity, it can sustain operations for a while, although its high price-to-sales ratio of over 730 and price-to-book ratio of 10 raise significant investment risks.
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