Rigetti(US:RGTI) 247Wallst·2026-02-14 20:56Core Viewpoint - Rigetti Computing's shares have dropped 9.15% this week, reflecting valuation concerns and skepticism about its future performance in the quantum computing sector [1]. Group 1: Performance Overview - Rigetti's stock is down 27.36% year-to-date and 37.44% over the past month, with a peak of $58.15 in mid-October [1]. - The company has a market cap of $4.95 billion and trades at a 660x price-to-sales ratio, with trailing twelve-month revenue of $7.49 million [1]. - Despite a one-year return of 31.35%, recent momentum has reversed significantly [1]. Group 2: Analyst Downgrade - TD Cowen analyst Krish Sankar downgraded Rigetti to Hold, citing unrealistic revenue targets for 2027 and increased costs in the quantum computing field [1]. - The consensus price target for Rigetti is $38.85, indicating potential upside, but the downgrade has shifted market sentiment negatively [1]. - Current estimates for 2027 sales are projected at $45.39 million, with potential downward revisions expected following the downgrade [1]. Group 3: Execution Risks - Rigetti postponed the launch of its Cepheus-1-108Q quantum computer, raising concerns about its technical execution capabilities [1]. - The company reported Q3 revenue of $1.90 million, missing estimates of $2.21 million, and posted a net loss of $200.97 million [1]. - Year-over-year revenue declined by 18.1%, indicating challenges in achieving commercial success [1]. Group 4: Competitive Landscape - IonQ has widened the competitive gap by announcing a significant acquisition to bring quantum hardware manufacturing in-house, reporting Q3 revenue of $39.87 million, which is 20 times that of Rigetti [1]. - IonQ holds $3.5 billion in pro-forma cash after a $2 billion equity offering and has achieved a technical milestone of 99.99% two-qubit gate performance [1]. - The probability of the US government taking an equity stake in Rigetti by the end of 2026 is only 8.05%, compared to 50% for IonQ [1].