Rigettis Quantum Stock Slides 14% as Daily Trading Volume Drops to 306th in Liquidity Ranking Amid Analyst Optimism and Institutional Buys

On August 8, 2025, Rigetti Computing (RGTI) closed at $15.44, down 1.40%, with a daily trading volume of $0.32 billion, a 25.35% decline from the prior day. The stock ranked 306th in market liquidity, reflecting reduced short-term investor activity.

Analyst sentiment remained cautiously optimistic, with six research firms maintaining "Buy" ratings. B. Riley and Industrial Alliance Securities raised price targets to $19.00 and $18.00, respectively, while Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage with an "overweight" rating. The average analyst price target stood at $16.00, suggesting potential for moderate gains despite recent volatility.

Insider transactions highlighted mixed signals. Directors Michael Clifton and Ray Johnson sold 25,000 and 40,420 shares, respectively, reducing their holdings by 2.84% and 8.78%. These sales followed months of strategic divestments but did not immediately impact broader ownership dynamics, as institutional investors collectively held 35.38% of shares.

Institutional investors increased stakes in Q1 and Q2, with Vanguard Group and Geode Capital Management boosting holdings by 20.7% and 22.9%, respectively. Invesco Ltd. saw a 7,367.2% surge in its position, signaling renewed confidence in Rigetti’s long-term quantum computing initiatives and infrastructure contracts.

Rigetti, a leader in quantum processor development, operates through cloud-based quantum computing services and hardware partnerships. Recent contracts with government labs and institutional backing underscore its role in advancing scalable quantum solutions, though near-term profitability remains a challenge.

The strategy of purchasing the top 500 stocks by daily trading volume and holding them for one day delivered a 166.71% return from 2022 to the present, outperforming the benchmark return of 29.18% by 137.53%. This underscores the role of liquidity concentration in short-term stock performance, particularly in volatile markets.