Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $16.87, but opened at $17.88. Rigetti Computing shares last traded at $18.4710, with a volume of 16,162,825 shares trading hands.

Key Stories Impacting Rigetti Computing

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

• Positive Sentiment: NVIDIA’s new Ising models and public positioning have reignited investor interest in quantum computing, boosting valuations and demand for peers including Rigetti; this sector catalyst is a major short-term tailwind for RGTI. NVIDIA’s Quantum Computing Play Just Sent IonQ and Rigetti Flying
• Positive Sentiment: Rigetti unveiled its 108‑qubit Cepheus system (tripling capacity and improving fidelity), a technical milestone that supports the company’s scaling story and helps justify renewed investor excitement around future commercial prospects. Can RGTI’s 108-Qubit Cepheus Launch Accelerate Quantum Advantage Push?
• Positive Sentiment: Quantum names (IonQ, D‑Wave, Rigetti) have staged multi-day rallies driven by momentum and cross‑market flows into thematic trades, lifting RGTI alongside peers. IonQ Rises 4%, D-Wave Surges 5%, Rigetti Gains 3: The Quantum Rally Is Now a Three-Day Phenomenon
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader media coverage framing quantum computing as a plausible near‑term disruptor to cryptography has drawn thematic investment flows into the group, which benefits Rigetti but is sentiment‑driven rather than earnings‑driven. Quantum Computing’s Crypto Threat Is Getting Real—and Investors Are Piling In
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets note recent sharp short‑term share swings and heavier-than-average volume; that brings attention but not necessarily sustainable valuation support. Rigetti Computing (RGTI) Valuation Check After Recent Short Term Share Price Swings
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals remain mixed — Rigetti is unprofitable, recent revenue trends have been weak and longer‑term price performance has lagged, leaving the stock exposed if sector sentiment reverses. Rigetti Computing, Inc. (RGTI) Rises Higher Than Market: Key Facts

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho cut their price target on Rigetti Computing from $50.00 to $43.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Wedbush lifted their price target on Rigetti Computing from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Rigetti Computing to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Benchmark cut their price target on Rigetti Computing from $35.00 to $25.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Rigetti Computing in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.70.

Rigetti Computing Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.60 and a beta of 1.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.92.

Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 4th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.33 million. Rigetti Computing had a negative return on equity of 14.91% and a negative net margin of 3,111.92%.Rigetti Computing’s revenue was down 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Rigetti Computing, Inc. will post -0.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Rigetti Computing

In other news, CFO Jeffrey A. Bertelsen sold 4,270 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.52, for a total transaction of $74,810.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 175,609 shares in the company, valued at $3,076,669.68. The trade was a 2.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO David Rivas sold 36,719 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.52, for a total value of $643,316.88. Following the sale, the chief technology officer owned 651,914 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,421,533.28. This represents a 5.33% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rigetti Computing

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Rigetti Computing during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rigetti Computing by 403.2% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rigetti Computing during the third quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Heritage Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in shares of Rigetti Computing by 454.3% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Wealth Advisors now owns 1,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 954 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Rigetti Computing by 138.4% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,218 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 35.38% of the company’s stock.

Rigetti Computing Company Profile

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.