IonQ CFO Sells 43,382 Shares of (IONQ) Stock

On the 8th of July, 2025, Thomas G. Kramer, the Financial Chief, made an open market sale of 43,382 shares of IonQ, as per a document filed under Form 4.

Transaction summary

Metric	Value
Shares traded	43,382
Transaction value	$2,070,583.82
Post-transaction shares	603,134
Post-transaction value	$25,578,912.94
Stock performance (1 year)	373.9%

Key questions

How does this transaction stack up against the insider’s usual trading habits? This sale is larger than their average trade size (around 20,133 shares), but it’s smaller than what they typically sell at the 75th percentile (about 53,865 shares). Additionally, it aligns with a recent pattern of more selling and less buying, as there have only been 12.5% buy transactions in the last year.

What percentage of the company does the insider own following the transaction, according to the most recent report? The insider holds around 0.23% or roughly 603,134 shares of the total shares issued and outstanding.

Is there an indication that the recent spike in transactions might be due to changes in insider activity, given the rise in trades over the past month, with larger trade sizes, and a noticeable trend towards selling since the beginning of this year, according to the data up to Q3 2025?

Company overview

Metric	Value
Market capitalization	$10.4 billion
Trailing-12-month revenue	$43.06 million
Trailing-12-month net income	($324 million)
One-year price change	367%

Company snapshot

Develops and provides access to general-purpose quantum computing systems, with commercial offerings currently at the 20-qubit level.
Generates revenue by selling cloud-based access to its quantum computers through major platforms such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Alphabet‘s Google Cloud, as well as via its proprietary cloud service.
Targets enterprise, research, and government clients seeking advanced computational capabilities for complex problem-solving and research applications.

IonQ aims to be at the forefront of quantum computing, utilizing exclusive trapped-ion technology for scalable quantum solutions. Their goal is to make quantum computing power accessible to a wide range of users through top-tier cloud platforms, making them a crucial facilitator for organizations seeking pioneering computational advancements. IonQ’s strategic partnerships with significant cloud providers and dedication to enterprise-level performance are key factors that set them apart in the rapidly advancing quantum hardware market.

Foolish take

It’s common for people to associate insider sales with underhanded transactions, but more often than not, they are simply a part of regular business activities and do not carry significant meaning. For instance, executives like Kramer are usually given stock as part of their compensation and may need to periodically sell it to cover everyday expenses. The sale in question, similar to most others, was transparent and had been arranged months earlier as part of a 10b5-1 plan – essentially an arrangement for a company insider to pre-arrange stock sales to prevent any suspicions of wrongdoing.

Let’s discuss if IonQ could be a smart investment choice given that it’s pioneering a potentially groundbreaking field – quantum computing. However, it’s essential to approach this technology with both optimism and caution, as we are still in its infancy. The question remains whether a practical, functional quantum computer can truly materialize in the future.

It’s reasonable to assume the viability of this sector, but instead of focusing on whether it will happen, let me pose a different question: When can we expect IonQ, or any quantum company for that matter, to reach maturity? Although IonQ expresses confidence that a high-end quantum computer is imminent, a timescale of only a few years seems overly optimistic. It’s more likely that the quantum era could be a full decade or longer in the making.

This business, with annual income under $45 million and incurring a substantial loss last year amounting to $324 million, has a market value of $10.4 billion. This is an incongruity largely due to exaggerated hype rather than tangible qualities. I would advise avoiding this stock until its evaluation aligns more closely with reality.

Glossary

SEC Filing 4: A mandatory document disclosing the sale of company stock by executives, directors, or major shareholders through public exchanges due to insider trading.

Open Market Transaction: When an insider sells their company shares on public stock markets rather than in private deals.

Insider: An executive, director, or large shareholder with access to confidential company information.

Insider Trading: The act of buying or selling a company’s stocks by someone who has access to undisclosed, significant information about the company.

Median Trade Size: The midpoint value of all trade sizes in a given data set, with half being larger and half smaller.

75th Percentile: The value below which 75% of the observed data points fall; used to analyze trade sizes.

Moving Average: The average price of a stock over a specific timeframe, helping identify trends and momentum.

Post-Transaction Shares: The number of shares an insider owns after completing a buy or sell transaction.

Trailing-12-Month (TTM): Financial data covering the last 12 months, updated continuously.

Cloud-Based Access: Accessing computing services or resources over the internet instead of using local hardware.

Qubit: The fundamental unit of quantum information, similar to a bit in classical computing, used in quantum computers.

One-Year Total Return: The total increase in value from price appreciation and dividends over the course of one year, presented as a percentage.

2025-07-16 21:53