IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) versus Jack Henry & Associates (NASDAQ:JKHY) Critical Contrast

IonQ (NYSE:IONQ) and Jack Henry & Associates (NASDAQ:JKHY) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, valuation and dividends.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares IonQ and Jack Henry & Associates”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
IonQ	$22.04 million	401.13	-$157.77 million	($0.81)	-50.44
Jack Henry & Associates	$2.22 billion	5.73	$381.82 million	$5.46	31.85

Jack Henry & Associates has higher revenue and earnings than IonQ. IonQ is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Jack Henry & Associates, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

41.4% of IonQ shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.8% of Jack Henry & Associates shares are held by institutional investors. 11.6% of IonQ shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of Jack Henry & Associates shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Risk and Volatility

IonQ has a beta of 2.43, suggesting that its stock price is 143% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Jack Henry & Associates has a beta of 0.61, suggesting that its stock price is 39% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for IonQ and Jack Henry & Associates, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
IonQ	0	1	4	0	2.80
Jack Henry & Associates	1	9	2	0	2.08

IonQ presently has a consensus target price of $33.00, suggesting a potential downside of 19.23%. Jack Henry & Associates has a consensus target price of $186.80, suggesting a potential upside of 7.43%. Given Jack Henry & Associates’ higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Jack Henry & Associates is more favorable than IonQ.

Profitability

This table compares IonQ and Jack Henry & Associates’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
IonQ	-457.85%	-36.82%	-32.48%
Jack Henry & Associates	17.79%	21.81%	13.94%

Summary

Jack Henry & Associates beats IonQ on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. engages in the development of general-purpose quantum computing systems in the United States. It sells access to quantum computers of various qubit capacities. The company makes access to its quantum computers through cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Amazon Braket, Microsoft’s Azure Quantum, and Google’s Cloud Marketplace, as well as through its cloud service. It also provides contracts associated with the design, development, and construction of specialized quantum computing hardware systems; maintenance and support services; and consulting services related to co-developing algorithms on quantum computing systems. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in College Park, Maryland.

About Jack Henry & Associates

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. is a financial technology company, which engages in the provision of technology solutions and payment processing services. It operates through the following segments: Core, Payments, Complementary, and Corporate and Other. The Core segment provides core information processing platforms to banks and credit unions which consist of integrated applications required to process deposit, loan, and general ledger transactions, and maintain centralized customer and member information. The Payments segment includes secure payment processing tools and services including ATM, debit, and credit card processing services, online and mobile bill pay solutions, ACH origination and remote deposit capture processing, and risk management products and services. The Complementary segment focuses on additional software, hosted processing platforms, and services including call center support, network security management, consulting, and monitoring. The Corporate and Other segment offers hardware and other products. The company was founded by Jerry D. Hall and John W. Henry in 1976 and is headquartered in Monett, MO.