Rigetti(US:RGTI) ZACKSยท2025-06-13 17:41Core Insights - Rigetti Computing (RGTI) has shown a year-to-date gain but faces increasing competitive pressure from peers like IonQ and D-Wave Quantum, as well as technology giants like IBM [1][3] - IBM has advanced its 1,121-qubit Condor system and aims for practical quantum utility by 2026, while IonQ reported a 77% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1 [2] - D-Wave is establishing itself in real-world applications, particularly in logistics and optimization, contrasting with Rigetti's slower commercial traction [2][11] Financial Performance - Rigetti's Q1 revenue was $1.5 million, missing estimates and highlighting its reliance on government contracts [3][8] - In comparison, IonQ achieved a revenue surge of 77% year-over-year and has $72.5 million in forward bookings, while D-Wave is securing enterprise use cases [9][10] - Rigetti's revenue model is heavily dependent on short-term government contracts, limiting future cash flow visibility [10][11] Competitive Landscape - Rigetti's shares have underperformed compared to industry peers, with a 4% increase in the past month, while IonQ and D-Wave saw gains of 15.9% and 43.4%, respectively [4][8] - Competitors like IonQ and D-Wave are building scalable customer ecosystems, securing long-term partnerships with major cloud platforms [11][12] - Rigetti's technical advancements, such as the Ankaa-3 system, have not translated into commercial success, with a projected 3-5 year timeline for meaningful traction [12][17] Valuation Concerns - Rigetti's stock is considered overvalued, trading at a price-to-book (P/B) ratio of 16.7X, significantly higher than the industry average of 6.4X [13][14] - This high P/B ratio indicates that investors are pricing in significant growth potential, which may not be justified by current financial performance [14][18] - Revenue is expected to decline by 18.6% in 2025, with earnings per share remaining negative but improving by 86.1% year-over-year [16][18]