2 stocks that will be worth more than IonQ in 2 years

IonQ (New York Stock Exchange: IONQ) since it went public three years ago through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Shares of the quantum computing company started trading at $10.60 on its first day, nearly tripled to a record high of $31 a month later, but fell to single digits earlier this year.

IonQ shares are trading at around $17 today. The optimistic argument is that it will continue to increase its quantum computing power, capturing more government contractsand has successfully reduced the physical width of its Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) from a few feet to a few inches using its patented “trapped ion” technology.

The bearish view is that IonQ is exaggerating its miniaturization capabilities, obscuring its progress own metrics to avoid direct comparisons with other quantum computing companies, and even relies on third-party quantum computing hardware to process some of its cloud services. The unexpected departure of chief scientist Chris Monroe, who was responsible for developing trapped ion technologies, raises even more alarm bells.

Image source: Getty Images.

WITH market capitalization At $3.6 billion, IonQ is already worth 25 times its excellence. estimated sales for 2026. So if IonQ doesn’t live up to the market’s high expectations, its valuation could collapse over the next two years. During this time, two smaller but speculative stocks emerged – Archer Aviation (New York Stock Exchange: ACHR) And Intuitive machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) — could grow their business at a faster pace, have a higher valuation and eclipse IonQ’s market capitalization.

Archer Aviation

Archer Aviation produces electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that can carry one pilot and four passengers. They have a top speed of 150 mph and a range of up to 100 miles, and are cheaper, quieter, faster and easier to land in urban areas than helicopters.

Archer only delivered its first Midnight eVTOL aircraft to the US Air Force earlier this year, but plans to increase production to 10 aircraft in 2025, 48 aircraft in 2026, 252 aircraft in 2027 and 650 aircraft in 2028. United Airlines has already placed a long-term order for 200 of these aircraft in early 2021, and the automaker Stellantis this year selected Archer as the contract manufacturer for its own eVTOL aircraft.

Analysts expect Archer’s annual revenue to grow from less than $2 million this year to $190 million in 2026. With a market capitalization of $1.1 billion, Archer’s sales are just 6 times its estimated 2026 sales and its revenue could increase. keep growing until the end of the decade. According to Fact.MR, the global eVTOL aircraft market could expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.5% between 2024 and 2034 as more companies replace their helicopters and expand their electric air taxi services.

If Archer continues to ramp up production, investors will likely pay a higher premium for its volatile stock, and its market capitalization could eclipse IonQ within the next two years.

Intuitive machines

Intuitive Machines develops lunar landing and exploration vehicles for NASA. The Nova-C lander was originally scheduled to land on the Moon back in 2021, but the long-awaited launch has been delayed numerous times. NASA finally pulled off that launch and landed Nova-C on the Moon in February of this year, marking its first successful US lunar landing since 1972.

Following this successful mission, NASA awarded Intuitive two awards. new contracts: A long-term lunar rover (LTV) contract in April and an exclusive five-year Near Space Network (NSN) contract worth up to $4.8 billion in September. It also offers car sharing services for customers who want to send their cargo to the moon.

Analysts expect Intuitive’s revenue to grow 180% to $223 million in 2024 and more than double to $480 million in 2026. But with a market cap of $503 million, Intuitive trades at just 2 times this year’s sales and about 1 times 2026 sales.

If Intuitive can stick to its long-term roadmap, ramp up production and win more NASA contracts and rideshares, it could command a much higher valuation. If it sells 10 times its forward sales by the end of 2025, it could be worth $4.8 billion. If IonQ doesn’t expand its quantum computing business by then, it could end up being valued much lower than Intuitive.

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Lev San has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Stellantis. The Motley Fool has disclosure policy.