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Rigetti Set to Report Q3 Earnings: Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?

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Rigetti Computing (RGTI - Free Report) is set to report third-quarter 2024 results on Nov. 12.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for third-quarter revenues is currently pegged at $33.33 million, indicating growth of 7.07% year over year. 

The consensus mark for earnings is currently pegged at a loss of 8 cents per share, unchanged over the past 30 days. The figure indicates a 38.46% increase from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Rigetti Computing, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

 

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Let’s see how things have shaped up prior to this announcement.

Key Factors to Consider for RGTI Q3 Earnings

RGTI’s focus on developing high-fidelity Quantum Processor Units (QPUs) and expanding its market presence through partnerships and new customer acquisitions, particularly in government and international markets, is expected to have driven growth in the to-be-reported quarter.

Rigetti achieved a 99.3% median 2-qubit gate fidelity on its 9-qubit Ankaa class quantum system in second-quarter 2024. This improvement in quantum processor performance is expected to be a significant step toward deploying the 84-qubit Ankaa 3 system by the end of the year. This advancement is expected to have enhanced Rigetti’s reputation and capabilities in the quantum computing industry.

The strong performance of Rigetti’s 24-qubit system, with a 99% fidelity rate and rapid gate speeds of 60-80 nanoseconds, is expected to have been a tailwind in the to-be-reported quarter. This system’s superior capability is likely to attract more partners and customers, further enhancing Rigetti’s market presence and revenue growth.

The sale of its Novera QPU to Horizon Quantum Computing in the second quarter of 2024 shows Rigetti’s capability to generate revenues through product sales. More sales, alongside potential new contracts from government and commercial clients, are expected to have aided Rigetti’s revenues in the third quarter.

RGTI Shares Underperform Sector, Industry

Rigetti shares have underperformed the Zacks Computer & Technology sector and its peers Salesforce (CRM - Free Report) , International Business Machines (IBM - Free Report) and Alphabet (GOOGL - Free Report) in the year-to-date period.

While RGTI has returned 14.8%, Salesforce, IBM and Alphabet have gained 48%, 30.7% and 29.4%, respectively, in the year-to-date period. The broader sector appreciated 25.5% over the same timeframe.

RGTI has also underperformed the Zacks Computer - Software industry, which has returned 24.9% year to date.

YTD Performance

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

RGTI stock is not so cheap, as suggested by the Value Score of C.

In terms of the forward 12-month Price/Sales ratio, RGTI is trading at 11.93X, higher than the sector’s 7.95X.

 

Price/Sales Ratio (F12M)

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

RGTI’s Long-term Prospects Are Bright

RGTI benefits from the growth opportunities in the quantum computing market, which, per a Grand View Research report, is expected to witness a CAGR of 20.1% from 2024 to 2030. 

RGTI’s expanding clientele further underscores its growing influence in the quantum computing space.

In October, Rigetti, in collaboration with Riverlane, successfully demonstrated real-time, low-latency quantum error correction on its 84-qubit Ankaa-2 system. This marks a significant step toward achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing, with long-term plans to integrate large-scale error correction on future systems.

Rigetti’s portfolio strength is a major growth driver for its success. In August, Rigetti announced the publication of a paper on its novel chip fabrication process, Alternating-Bias Assisted Annealing, which enhances qubit frequency targeting and improves quantum computing performance.

Rigetti’s modular chip architecture, which allows for efficient scaling by linking multiple identical chips, could provide a scalable pathway to higher-qubit quantum processors. This is expected to support future product expansions, positioning Rigetti to meet increasing market demand for scalable quantum systems.

RGTI Shares – Buy, Sell or Hold?

Rigetti’s advancements in quantum processors and modular chip architecture will benefit the company. 

However, challenging macroeconomic uncertainties and intense competition in the rapidly evolving and highly competitive quantum computing market make it a risky bet.

Currently, Rigetti carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which implies that investors should wait for a better entry point to accumulate the stock. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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