Quantum Computing (QUBT) Shares Slide Monday Despite Q1 Earnings Beat: What's Going On?

Shares of Quantum Computing Inc QUBT fell 9.75% to $11.62 on Monday, pulling back after last week's rally, likely due to broader market weakness and profit-taking.

What To Know: The decline comes despite a stronger-than-expected first-quarter earnings report. QCi posted net income of $17 million, or 13 cents per share, significantly beating the consensus estimate of a 7 cent loss.

Revenue came in at $39,000, below the $100,000 estimate, but up 44% year-over-year. The company ended the quarter with $166.4 million in cash, boosted by a $93.6 million private placement.

Operationally, QCi completed construction of its Quantum Photonic Chip Foundry in Arizona, securing five initial orders for its thin film lithium niobate chips. The company also advanced its Dirac-3 quantum machine's adoption, including a biomedical collaboration with Sanders Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute.

Additional highlights include a subcontract with NASA, new commercial orders from Delft University and a major automotive firm, and the appointment of Eric Schwartz to its board.

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How To Buy QUBT Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for Quantum Computing – be it to purchase shares, or even attempt to bet against the company.

Buying shares is typically done through a brokerage account. You can find a list of possible trading platforms here. Many will allow you to buy “fractional shares,” which allows you to own portions of stock without buying an entire share.

In the case of Quantum Computing, which is trading at $11.68 as of publishing time, $100 would buy you 8.56 shares of stock.

If you're looking to bet against a company, the process is more complex. You'll need access to an options trading platform, or a broker who will allow you to “go short” a share of stock by lending you the shares to sell. The process of shorting a stock can be found at this resource. Otherwise, if your broker allows you to trade options, you can either buy a put option, or sell a call option at a strike price above where shares are currently trading – either way it allows you to profit off of the share price decline.

According to data from Benzinga Pro, QUBT has a 52-week high of $27.15 and a 52-week low of $0.35.