Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) shares gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $26.88, but opened at $25.90. Rigetti Computing shares last traded at $26.0010, with a volume of 3,500,544 shares changing hands.

Key Headlines Impacting Rigetti Computing

Here are the key news stories impacting Rigetti Computing this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages have a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which can support investor confidence and buying interest. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators point to Rigetti’s vertically integrated quantum stack as a competitive advantage that could enable faster hardware iteration and scalable growth — a fundamental narrative that can justify premium valuation expectations if execution continues. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Dec. 23 intraday price action saw a ~13% advance attributed to quarter‑/year‑end window‑dressing and a broader market rally — a technical catalyst that can lift the stock even without near‑term fundamental change. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparison pieces (Rigetti vs. IonQ) highlight different strategic paths — Rigetti focused on vertical integration and long‑term scalability vs. IonQ’s nearer‑term commercial traction — which may lead investors to rotate based on risk tolerance rather than change the sector view. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Latest short‑interest data appear anomalous (reported as zero with NaN change and a 0.0 days‑to‑cover ratio), suggesting a reporting error rather than a real squeeze or covering pressure; investors should treat this item cautiously until corrected.
• Negative Sentiment: Forbes and other coverage question whether the recent double‑digit jump was speculative/technical rather than driven by improving fundamentals — a narrative that can prompt profit‑taking and volatility if no clear revenue or margin progress follows. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Alliance Global Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Rigetti Computing in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Rigetti Computing in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded Rigetti Computing from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 15th. B. Riley reduced their target price on Rigetti Computing from $42.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Mizuho assumed coverage on Rigetti Computing in a report on Thursday, December 11th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $50.00 price target for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.22.

Rigetti Computing Stock Down 2.3%

The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $30.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.10 billion, a PE ratio of -18.87 and a beta of 1.68.

Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.95 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 million. Rigetti Computing had a negative return on equity of 21.98% and a negative net margin of 4,741.49%.The business’s revenue was down 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Rigetti Computing, Inc. will post -0.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Helene Gail Sandford sold 62,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.89, for a total value of $2,783,180.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 120,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,403,454.19. This trade represents a 34.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Rigetti Computing

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in Rigetti Computing in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Rigetti Computing by 403.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Rigetti Computing in the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Ancora Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Rigetti Computing during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Rigetti Computing by 13,960.0% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,406 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 1,396 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 35.38% of the company’s stock.

About Rigetti Computing

Rigetti Computing is a pioneering quantum computing company that designs and manufactures superconducting quantum processors alongside a complementary software stack. Founded in 2013 by CEO Chad Rigetti, the company has developed end-to-end quantum systems—from cryogenic hardware to control electronics—to advance the performance and scalability of quantum machines.

At the core of Rigetti’s offering is its Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) platform, which enables developers and enterprises to access quantum processing units (QPUs) and hybrid quantum-classical workflows via the cloud.