Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on IonQ ( IONQ ) .

And retail traders should know.

We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.

Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with IONQ ( IONQ ), it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.

So how do we know what these investors just did?

Today, Benzinga's options scanner spotted 125 uncommon options trades for IonQ ( IONQ ).

This isn't normal.

The overall sentiment of these big-money traders is split between 42% bullish and 43%, bearish.

Out of all of the special options we uncovered, 26 are puts, for a total amount of $1,630,005, and 99 are calls, for a total amount of $7,829,210.

Expected Price Movements

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $5.0 and $90.0 for IonQ ( IONQ ), spanning the last three months.

Insights into Volume & Open Interest

Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock.

This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for IonQ's ( IONQ ) options for a given strike price.

Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of IonQ's ( IONQ ) whale activity within a strike price range from $5.0 to $90.0 in the last 30 days.

IonQ Option Volume And Open Interest Over Last 30 Days

Noteworthy Options Activity:

About IonQ

IonQ Inc ( IONQ ) sells access to several quantum computers of various qubit capacities and is in the process of researching and developing technologies for quantum computers with increasing computational capabilities. The company currently makes access to its quantum computers available via cloud platforms and also to select customers via its own cloud service. This cloud-based approach enables the broad availability of quantum-computing-as-a-service (QCaaS). The company derives its revenue from its quantum-computing-as-a-service arrangements, consulting services related to co-developing algorithms on company's quantum computing systems and contracts associated with the design, development, and construction of specialized quantum computing systems together with related services.

Following our analysis of the options activities associated with IonQ ( IONQ ), we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance.

Where Is IonQ Standing Right Now?

With a trading volume of 32,685,608, the price of IONQ ( IONQ ) is up by 4.03%, reaching $68.08.

Current RSI values indicate that the stock is may be overbought.

Next earnings report is scheduled for 48 days from now.

Expert Opinions on IonQ

Over the past month, 5 industry analysts have shared their insights on this stock, proposing an average target price of $74.0.

Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move

Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from B. Riley Securities keeps a Buy rating on IonQ ( IONQ ) with a target price of $75.

* An analyst from Needham downgraded its action to Buy with a price target of $80.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Needham keeps a Buy rating on IonQ ( IONQ ) with a target price of $80.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Benchmark keeps a Buy rating on IonQ ( IONQ ) with a target price of $75.

* Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald keeps a Overweight rating on IonQ ( IONQ ) with a target price of $60.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for IonQ ( IONQ ), Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.