Why Did Rigetti Quantum Stock Pop Today?

Key Points BMO Capital analyst Harsh Kumar recommended buying D-Wave Quantum stock today. He did not recommend buying Rigetti -- but Rigetti stock is going up even more than D-Wave. Both companies are burning cash, but D-Wave at least has more cash to burn than Rigetti. 10 stocks we like better than D-Wave Quantum › D-Wave Quantum (NASDAQ: QBTS) stock jumped 6.9% through 1:10 p.m. ET Friday after BMO Capital analyst Harsh Kumar initiated coverage of the quantum computing stock with an outperform rating. Considering that Kumar predicted that D-Wave stock would nearly double over the next year, and hit $35, that's not surprising -- but here's something that is surprising: D-Wave rival Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) stock shot up 9.6% today. And Kumar didn't mention Rigetti at all! Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue » Image source: Getty Images. Why BMO loves D-Wave Quantum In his note this morning, Kumar said D-Wave stock is "best positioned in the quantum space to have commercial success" based on its two-pronged approach to quantum computing, which explores both annealing and gate models to reach accurate conclusions. Now, Kumar may be right about D-Wave being the "best" quantum stock. This wouldn't necessarily make Rigetti a bad quantum stock -- just not quite as good as D-Wave. In that case, while Rigetti stock rising some today on general enthusiasm for quantum stocks might make sense, it makes no sense for Rigetti stock to be going up more than D-Wave! D-Wave is better than Rigetti stock Consider, too, that while both companies are unprofitable (and likely to remain so for years), Rigetti is in a more vulnerable financial position than D-Wave in the near term. With only $394 million in cash, Rigetti is likely to run out of cash by 2030, according to analyst forecasts of future cash burn. D-Wave, with a cash war chest of $546 million, probably has enough cash to last through 2031 or so before needing to raise more. On its own, this may not be the strongest argument for buying D-Wave. ("It's unprofitable and burning cash.") It's certainly an argument for preferring it over Rigetti, however. Should you buy stock in D-Wave Quantum right now? Before you buy stock in D-Wave Quantum, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and D-Wave Quantum wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $432,189 !* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,330,956 !* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 967 % — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor , and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 21, 2026. Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy .

BMO Capital analyst Harsh Kumar recommended buying D-Wave Quantum stock today.

He did not recommend buying Rigetti -- but Rigetti stock is going up even more than D-Wave.

Both companies are burning cash, but D-Wave at least has more cash to burn than Rigetti.

D-Wave Quantum (NASDAQ: QBTS) stock jumped 6.9% through 1:10 p.m. ET Friday after BMO Capital analyst Harsh Kumar initiated coverage of the quantum computing stock with an outperform rating. Considering that Kumar predicted that D-Wave stock would nearly double over the next year, and hit $35, that's not surprising -- but here's something that is surprising: D-Wave rival Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) stock shot up 9.6% today.

Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »

In his note this morning, Kumar said D-Wave stock is "best positioned in the quantum space to have commercial success" based on its two-pronged approach to quantum computing, which explores both annealing and gate models to reach accurate conclusions.

Now, Kumar may be right about D-Wave being the "best" quantum stock. This wouldn't necessarily make Rigetti a bad quantum stock -- just not quite as good as D-Wave. In that case, while Rigetti stock rising some today on general enthusiasm for quantum stocks might make sense, it makes no sense for Rigetti stock to be going up more than D-Wave!