Quantum computing company Rigetti Computing is getting a fresh look from Wall Street, and the picture is mixed.
According to The Motley Fool, Rigetti's stock is down over 4% so far in 2026. But zoom out, and the story flips: the shares are up nearly 85% over the past 12 months.
That gap between the recent dip and the longer-term surge points to one of the stock's defining traits — volatility. The Motley Fool notes Rigetti carries a beta of 1.9, a measure suggesting the stock tends to swing far more sharply than the broader market, both up and down.
Despite the bumpy ride, analysts are generally optimistic on the name, according to The Motley Fool, which cites an average analyst price target above current levels. The original analysis appeared on June 18, 2026, and was picked up across financial outlets including Yahoo Finance and The Globe and Mail, a sign of how much retail interest the quantum sector is drawing.
For readers, the takeaway is less about a single verdict and more about the trade-off on display. A stock that nearly doubled in a year and now carries a high beta is one capable of big rewards and equally big drops. Optimistic analyst targets reflect excitement about quantum computing's long-term promise, but the recent decline is a reminder that the sector remains speculative and early-stage.
Why it matters: Rigetti has become a bellwether for retail enthusiasm in quantum computing, and its swings show how investors are betting big on a technology whose commercial payoff is still years away.