Quantum Computing Inc.
develops quantum-ready software solutions for the prepackaged software industry. It positions itself as an innovator making quantum computing accessible by focusing on practical enterprise applications rather than hardware development.
Updated: January 16, 2026, 16:00 EST
Based on a comprehensive analysis of QUBT (Quantum Computing Inc.), the investment case presents substantial risks with little fundamental justification for its current price.
Technical & Fundamental Outlook: The stock is technically oversold after severe declines, but its extreme volatility (Beta of 3.5) suggests continued turbulence. Fundamentally, the company is in a precarious position: it generates minimal revenue, burns cash rapidly, and operates at a significant loss. While a strong cash balance provides a short runway, the unsustainable cash burn rate indicates a future need for dilutive financing.
Valuation & Risk Assessment: QUBT is severely overvalued by traditional metrics, with a forward P/E of 310 and a price-to-sales ratio near 5,000, completely disconnected from its financial reality. Coupled with extremely high volatility and operational inefficiency, the risk of further capital depreciation is pronounced.
Recommendation: Based on the profound disconnect between its valuation and fundamentals, alongside persistent operational losses and high volatility, QUBT is not worth buying. The stock represents a highly speculative gamble rather than a sound investment, suitable only for investors with the highest risk tolerance who understands the potential for total loss. A prudent investor should await significant operational improvements and a more rational valuation.
*This is not investment advice, for reference only.*
Based on the analysis, the 12-month outlook for QUBT is highly speculative and carries significant downside risk. The primary catalyst would be a major, unexpected technological breakthrough or a lucrative commercial partnership that could justify its valuation, but such an event is highly uncertain. The most significant risks are its unsustainable cash burn, which will likely lead to highly dilutive financing, and the profound disconnect between its extreme valuation and non-existent financial performance. Given the absence of analyst targets and the precarious fundamentals, a realistic price range is difficult to establish, but the risk of a decline toward cash value or lower is substantial without a fundamental operational turnaround.
Most Wall Street analysts are optimistic about Quantum Computing Inc.'s 12-month outlook, with consensus target around $12.70, indicating expected upside potential.
Overall, QUBT has investment potential but also faces challenges. Here are key factors to weigh before investing.
QUBT has demonstrated extremely poor performance characterized by substantial declines and severe underperformance relative to the market.
The stock has experienced significant short-term weakness, declining approximately 9% over one month and a severe 45% over three months, substantially underperforming the broader market by nearly 48 percentage points during the latter period. Its exceptionally high beta of 3.5 confirms this period has been one of extreme volatility and negative momentum.
Currently trading at $11.69, QUBT sits approximately midway within its 52-week range but closer to its low, having recovered from its deepest trough. Given the magnitude of recent declines and a maximum drawdown of over 60% in the past year, the stock appears to be in a technically oversold condition, though its high beta suggests continued volatility risk.
| Period | QUBT Return | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1m | +12.7% | +1.9% |
| 3m | -41.7% | +4.4% |
| 6m | -27.1% | +10.9% |
| 1y | +29.2% | +15.7% |
| ytd | +15.3% | +1.2% |
Revenue & Profitability QUBT shows minimal revenue generation while experiencing significant operating losses, evidenced by Q3 2025's -27.1% operating margin despite $384,000 in revenue. The company maintains a reasonable gross profit ratio of 32.8%, but extremely high R&D and administrative expenses create substantial operating losses. Net income turned positive in Q3 primarily due to $12.8 million in other income, masking underlying operational unprofitability.
Financial Health The company maintains exceptional liquidity with current and quick ratios above 150, supported by a dominant cash position representing 97% of assets against minimal debt. However, cash flow metrics are deeply negative with operating cash flow at -22.8 times revenue, indicating the company is burning cash rapidly to fund operations. The minimal debt burden provides some runway, but the cash burn rate suggests eventual need for additional financing.
Operational Efficiency Operational efficiency metrics reveal significant challenges, with asset turnover of just 0.0004 indicating poor utilization of the asset base. The negative return on capital employed of -1.2% confirms the company is destroying value from its operations despite the positive ROE being driven by non-operating income. Extremely long cash conversion cycle of 1,186 days reflects substantial capital tied up in working capital, further straining operational efficiency.
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Try Now & Get Tesla Stock RewardQUBT is heavily overvalued based on traditional valuation metrics, primarily due to negative earnings and extremely high forward valuation multiples. The forward PE ratio of approximately 310 is exceptionally high and far exceeds reasonable valuation ranges, indicating significant overvaluation. The PS ratio of nearly 4,971 confirms severe overvaluation relative to sales, while the PB ratio of 3.09 suggests moderate valuation premium relative to book value. All standardized valuation metrics show substantial overvaluation compared to industry averages, with no positive fundamental valuation support ratios indicating an unsustainable valuation premium.
Based on the provided metrics, QUBT carries exceptionally high volatility risk. With a Beta of 3.489, the stock is theoretically about 3.5 times more volatile than the broader market, indicating extreme sensitivity to market swings. This is corroborated by a maximum drawdown of -60.87% over the past year, suggesting the stock has experienced severe price depreciation from a previous peak, representing significant capital loss risk for investors during downturns.
Regarding other risk factors, the notable absence of reported short interest is atypical and warrants attention. While this could imply a lack of bearish sentiment from sophisticated investors, it may also point to extremely low liquidity or poor tradability, making it difficult or unattractive to establish short positions. This low liquidity itself is a major risk, as it can lead to wide bid-ask spreads and high price impact from even modest trades, potentially trapping investors during a sell-off.
Bearish. QUBT appears overvalued and carries significant risk. Its extreme volatility is confirmed by a beta of 3.5, and the company is burning cash rapidly while showing minimal revenue to justify its high valuation multiples. This speculative stock is only suitable for highly risk-tolerant investors speculating on long-term quantum computing adoption, not for prudent or value-oriented investors.
Based on the data provided, QUBT stock is significantly overvalued. Its valuation multiples are astronomical compared to reasonable benchmarks, with a negative trailing PE and a staggering forward PE of ~310 and a price-to-sales (PS) ratio of ~4,971. The primary reason for this overvaluation is extreme investor speculation on future growth, completely detached from current fundamentals, as the company is deeply unprofitable, has minimal revenue, and is burning cash at an unsustainable rate.
Based on the provided analysis of QUBT (Quantum Computing Inc.), the key risks are:
1. Extreme Market and Price Risk: The stock has demonstrated exceptionally high volatility with a beta of 3.5, leading to severe price depreciation (a 45% decline in 3 months and a maximum drawdown of over 60% in the past year), making it highly susceptible to market swings and significant capital loss. 2. Fundamental Business Model Risk: The company is operationally unprofitable with minimal revenue, a high cash burn rate (-22.8x operating cash flow to revenue), and poor asset utilization, indicating a fundamental risk that the business may not achieve sustainable operations without continuous external financing. 3. Liquidity and Tradability Risk: The notable absence of short interest suggests potential illiquidity, which can lead to wide bid-ask spreads and difficulty executing trades without significant price impact, especially during market stress.
Based on QUBT's current fundamentals and speculative nature, forecasting to 2026 is highly uncertain. Our base case target is $1-$3, reflecting the high probability of significant dilution from necessary future financings to sustain operations, while a bull case of $15-$20 would require a successful, large-scale commercial partnership or a major technological validation that currently has low visibility. Key growth drivers are entirely dependent on transitioning from R&D to commercial revenue, specifically through securing a flagship enterprise client and demonstrating a viable quantum advantage over classical computing. The primary assumptions are that cash burn continues to necessitate dilutive capital raises and that revenue growth remains minimal without a paradigm-shifting commercial deal, making the stock exceptionally high-risk with a substantial possibility of value erosion.