IonQ Stock Climbs On Skyloom Acquisition

IonQ Inc (NYSE:IONQ) stock is trading higher Monday afternoon, finding support after the company announced a strategic acquisition. Here’s what investors need to know.

• IONQ stock is racing ahead of the pack. Check the analyst take here.

What To Know: Monday morning, IonQ revealed it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Skyloom Global, a U.S. leader in space-based optical communications. The move is designed to accelerate IonQ’s development of a worldwide quantum networking and sensing infrastructure by integrating Skyloom’s satellite link technology.

Monday’s positive news provides a rebound from a brutal, sector-wide selloff last week. A Benzinga report last week highlighted a potential “dot-com moment” for quantum stocks, which saw over $30 billion in market value erased as investors grew skeptical about commercialization timelines.

The acquisition reinforces the underlying momentum IonQ reported on Nov. 6. The company posted strong third-quarter results, beating revenue and earnings per share estimates. The company also raised its full-year 2025 sales outlook to a range of $106 million to $110 million, versus estimates of $91.33 million

Benzinga Edge Rankings: Benzinga Edge rankings highlight this recent volatility for IonQ, showing a strong Momentum score of 87.25 even as its short- and medium-term price trends are rated negatively.

IONQ Price Action: IonQ shares were up 2.48% at $48.35 at the time of publication on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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How To Buy IONQ Stock

By now you're likely curious about how to participate in the market for IonQ – 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.

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.

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