BlackRock Owns 24.3 Million Shares of IonQ. Here's What That Really Tells You About Quantum Computing Stocks. - Yahoo Finance

BlackRock Owns 24.3 Million Shares of IonQ. Here's What That Really Tells You About Quantum Computing Stocks. Johnny Rice, The Motley Fool Fri, February 27, 2026 at 9:40 AM EST 4 min read 2 IONQ -6.14% BLK -2.48% When IonQ's (NYSE: IONQ) stock surged in 2025, a popular narrative took hold: Wall Street is loading up on quantum computing. But this narrative missed something fundamental about how institutional ownership actually works, and understanding the difference could save you from a costly misread of institutional investor sentiment. Passive funds don't pick stocks No later than 45 days after the end of each quarter, institutional investors managing more than $100 million must file a 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission -- a public disclosure of their stock holdings as of the end of that period. When investors see massive names like Vanguard and BlackRock holding millions of shares of IonQ, it's easy to assume the "smart money" believes in the company's future, but that's not the case here. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Image source: Getty Images. IonQ is a component of indexes like the Russell 2000, which tracks the 2,000 smallest publicly traded companies in the U.S. based solely on market capitalization. All the funds that track that index -- like BlackRock's iShares Russell 2000 ETF -- hold shares of every company in the index in proportion to each company's market cap. This means that if IonQ represents 0.1% of the Russell 2000, a fund that tracks it must allocate 0.1% of its assets to IonQ shares. There's more than one kind of active fund Not all institutional holders of IonQ are passive funds that track indexes. There are also active funds that generally fall into two camps: Quantitative and trading-oriented firms like D.E. Shaw. These hedge funds make active trades using algorithms in pursuit of short-term gains. They don't particularly care about the company's quality or its long-term prospects. Research-driven, active funds like Morgan Stanley. This is the "smart money" you are thinking of. These firms employ analysts who study companies' technology, build financial models, and take positions based on a genuine investment thesis and long-term conviction. Morgan Stanley is the main outlier on IonQ's stakeholder list. It owns 16.6 million shares. And while it's significant, it is still a small piece of the pie for Morgan Stanley and doesn't reflect Wall Street at large. How investors should use 13F filings When you pull back the curtains on 13F filings, most of Wall Street's quantum computing exposure is either passive, momentum-driven, or a rounding error inside a large diversified portfolio.

Story Continues It's worth remembering that quantum computing remains a deeply speculative sector. The companies involved are pursuing genuinely transformative technology, but commercial revenue at scale from it is still years away. The gap between scientific promise and investable reality is big.If you're using institutional ownership as a signal, make sure you're reading it correctly. Focus less on the total number of institutional holders and more on who they are. Look for growth in active, research-driven holders as a more meaningful signal of institutional conviction. And most importantly of all, invest in companies that you have high conviction in over the long term. This is the key not just to finding success in the market, but enjoying peace of mind too.Should you buy stock in IonQ right now?Before you buy stock in IonQ, 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 IonQ 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 $456,188!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,133,413!*Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 916% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 194% 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 February 27, 2026. Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends IonQ.

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The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.BlackRock Owns 24.3 Million Shares of IonQ. Here's What That Really Tells You About Quantum Computing Stocks.