The Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in 2026 - Yahoo Finance

The Best Quantum Computing Stocks to Buy in 2026 Leo Sun, The Motley Fool May 4, 2026 4 min read IBM -2.70% IONQ +15.54% Quantum computers can perform certain tasks much faster than their classical counterparts, but they're still larger, pricier, and less accurate for most applications. Yet over the next decade, smaller, cheaper, and more scalable quantum processing units (QPUs) could drive the development of more accurate quantum systems. From 2026 to 2034, Fortune Business Insights expects the quantum computing market to expand at a 30.6% CAGR. Therefore, it could still be a great time to invest in some of the early movers in this nascent industry. Conservative investors should check out IBM (NYSE: IBM) as a quantum play, while more daring investors can take a closer look at IonQ (NYSE: IONQ). Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on a little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly," providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Image source: Getty Images. The conservative play: IBM In the 2010s, IBM struggled to grow its software, hardware, and IT services businesses while keeping up with its faster-moving cloud-based competitors. But under Arvind Krishna, who took the helm as IBM's CEO in 2020, the aging tech giant expanded its higher-growth hybrid cloud and AI businesses. It also divested its slower-growth managed infrastructure services segment. As a result, IBM's revenue and EPS grew at CAGRs of 4% and 12%, respectively, from 2020 to 2025. From 2025 to 2028, analysts expect its revenue and EPS to both grow at CAGRs of 5% as it continues to expand its hybrid cloud and AI businesses. Its stock is still reasonably valued at 20 times next year's earnings, and it pays an attractive forward dividend yield of 2.9%. IBM is also one of the world's top quantum computing companies. It's already deployed over 85 quantum systems to run more than 3 trillion programs, launched several experimental chips (Eagle, Heron, Nighthawk, and Loon), and plans to build a fully error-free quantum system by 2029. It deploys both smaller research-scale systems and larger utility-scale systems. IBM doesn't generate much meaningful revenue from these systems, since they're mainly used in niche research projects. Still, it could eventually blend them into its hybrid cloud and AI services to reach a broader range of enterprise customers. So if you're looking for a simple way to invest in the quantum market through a diversified tech giant, IBM checks all the right boxes. The aggressive play: IonQ IBM and many of the older quantum computing companies accelerate electrons through superconducting loops to achieve a quantum state. Those systems are cheaper to manufacture, but they require cryogenic refrigeration and output more errors than newer systems. Story Continues View Comments Terms and Privacy Policy Privacy Dashboard