IonQ, Inc. (IONQ): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score

Is IONQ undervalued?

At 34.35 (close of 16 Oct 2026), IONQ has no GLS fair value: every one of the nine models needs a positive input (the company lost money over the last twelve months, EPS -3.85, it pays no dividend and its debts exceed what its assets would fetch), so the margin of safety is blank and the Wheel Score cannot be computed. Our screens leave the stock out at the first rule. What can be said from the nightly row is below.

The nightly engine files IONQ under Speculative / Distressed - negative earnings or a Piotroski score of 3 or less - which caps its Wheel Score at 45 and keeps it out of the Sunday Scan.

Nine valuation models for IONQ

Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.

Quality and financial health

IonQ, Inc. scores only 3 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score, which fails the Sunday Scan's "6 or more" rule. A reading this low means several of the basic tests - positive earnings, positive operating cash flow, falling debt, no new share issuance - are not met. A GLS Moat score of 3.5/10 is a weak reading: the ten-year history the score grades (revenue, EPS, book value, margins, cash flow, share count, ROIC) has not been steady, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.

Returns on capital are thin or negative - ROIC -13.3%, ROE -13.4%, ROA -7.8% - with debt at 0.01 times equity and negative free cash flow.

IonQ, Inc. pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain.

Institutional ownership scores 7/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 5/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.

Wheel Score 45: Weak

With a Wheel Score of 45 IonQ, Inc. sits in the Weak band, capped at 45 because the engine files it as Speculative / Distressed. The parts - Value 13/25, Health 7/20, Moat 5/15, Premium 15/20, Stability 14/20 - show where: Moat (5/15) scores lowest.

Implied volatility is 80% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - above the 60% ceiling of the sweet spot. Premiums are large, but the Wheel Score tapers the Premium points (15 of 20) because volatility this high usually comes with a reason. The option chain is deep: 735,193 contracts of open interest across all expiries, which means tight fills at most strikes.

Volume runs at 47.7M shares a day on a market cap of $13.9B, with a beta of 3.36 - a high beta, so the stock tends to move more than the market and a strike can be gapped through; the Stability part of the Wheel Score gives that 14 of 20.

The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls; it is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. The walkthrough lesson shows how the score fits into a trade, start to finish.

Upcoming events

The next earnings report is due on 4 Nov 2026 (after the close), 19 days away; a 30-45-day put sold today would expire after it, which is worth weighing against the premium.

Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.

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