Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ: RGTI) is ending Tuesday, December 23, 2025, with a familiar mix of big swings, heavy volume, and investor debate over whether quantum-computing “pure plays” are being priced on near-term fundamentals or long-term potential.
After the closing bell, RGTI shares stabilized modestly in after-hours trading following a steep regular-session pullback that erased part of Monday’s surge. Here’s what happened after the bell today — and what investors should keep on their radar before the market opens Wednesday, December 24, 2025.
RGTI after-hours price: where Rigetti stock stands after the bell
As of 7:59 p.m. ET (late after-hours):
- Regular session close (Dec. 23):$25.11, down $1.77 (‑6.58%)
- After-hours (Dec. 23):$25.30, up $0.19 (+0.76%)
- Day range (Dec. 23):$24.91 – $26.73
- Volume (Dec. 23): about 34.2M–34.5M shares (depending on data source)
- 52-week range shown:$5.95 – $58.15
- Market cap (shown): about $8.35B
- Short interest (shown):~13.24% (Benzinga’s displayed metric) [1]
The key takeaway from the tape: the after-hours bounce has been real but small, and it hasn’t (yet) reversed the broader down day.
What moved Rigetti stock today: a fast giveback after Monday’s pop
Tuesday’s drop makes more sense when you zoom out by just one session.
On Monday, Dec. 22, Rigetti closed at $26.88, up 13.13% on an eye-catching ~59.8M shares traded — a classic “momentum day” for a high-beta quantum name. [2]
On Tuesday, Dec. 23, the stock flipped: it opened at $25.90 (below Monday’s close), traded as low as $24.91, and finished the session at $25.11 (‑6.58%) on another very active day of trading. [3]
That pattern — big up day → sharp pullback — is common in pockets of the market driven by thematic momentum, retail flows, and thin liquidity, especially late in the year.
The “holiday liquidity” effect is real — and it can exaggerate moves
A recent Benzinga piece describing a “Santa Rally” dynamic in quantum names highlights a key market mechanic: as institutional desks thin out around the holidays, price moves in smaller, high-volatility stocks can get amplified. [4]
That doesn’t mean fundamentals are irrelevant — it means short-term price discovery can become unusually noisy, and intraday reversals can be sharper than usual.
Today’s headlines and analysis on Rigetti: what’s new on Dec. 23
While there wasn’t a single obvious “one headline” catalyst tied to a new Rigetti corporate announcement in the coverage surfaced today, several widely read market summaries and research-style articles framed the story similarly:
MarketBeat: gap-down start, “moderate buy” consensus — but weak fundamentals backdrop
MarketBeat’s Dec. 23 write-up notes the gap-down (opening at $25.90 after a $26.88 prior close) and emphasizes the tug-of-war between bullish targets and weak near-term financial metrics (including small quarterly revenue and negative profitability measures). [5]
It also recaps a cluster of recent Wall Street initiations/updates (more on that below), which has been a major driver of sector attention in December. [6]
Nasdaq/Zacks today: vertical integration as the long-term “edge,” but valuation/cash burn concerns remain
A Zacks analysis published on Nasdaq today leans into the long-term bull case: Rigetti’s vertically integrated superconducting quantum stack — designing and building key layers in-house — could help it iterate faster and improve hardware–software co-design. [7]
But the same piece also flags what skeptics focus on: limited current revenue and ongoing cash burn, plus a valuation profile that looks stretched on traditional measures (Zacks cites a price-to-book ratio of 23.52 and assigns a Value Score of F). [8]
Forbes “Great Speculations” today: was the jump speculative?
A Forbes “Great Speculations” item posted today directly questions whether Rigetti’s recent move — especially the >13% surge on Dec. 22 — was more “speculative” than fundamental, tying it to a broader quantum-stock rally. [9]
Put together, the “today” read across outlets is consistent: RGTI is trading like a momentum-driven quantum proxy, and investors are trying to decide how much of the story should be discounted now versus later.
Analyst forecasts and price targets: what Wall Street is signaling (and why it matters tomorrow)
Rigetti has been getting fresh attention from major firms recently, and that matters because new coverage can change how investors frame the narrative (from “retail trade” to “institutional theme”), even if near-term revenue remains small.
MarketBeat lists several recent calls:
- Wedbush (Dec. 17): initiated/started coverage with Outperform and a $35 target
- Jefferies (Dec. 16): initiated with Hold and a $30 target
- Mizuho (Dec. 11): assumed coverage with Outperform and a $50 target
- Benchmark (Nov. 11): target reduced $50 → $40, kept Buy [10]
Why this matters for the Dec. 24 open
When a stock is as headline-sensitive as RGTI has been, analyst notes can be catalysts even without “new” company news. The market often reacts not only to upgrades/downgrades, but to:
- changes in price targets
- changes in the time horizon analysts emphasize (2026–2030 vs. next quarter)
- commentary on government vs. commercial demand and the company’s competitive moat
In other words: if another note drops overnight or premarket, it can move the stock — especially in a holiday-shortened session.
One caution: “consensus” targets vary by data provider
If you’re reading multiple platforms tonight, you may notice the “consensus price target” is not identical everywhere. For example, Benzinga displays a $24.00 consensus price target figure on its quote page. [11]
Other aggregators cited elsewhere today (including MarketBeat) show higher averages, depending on which analyst set is included and how it’s updated. [12]
That’s why, in a stock like Rigetti, the most actionable information is often the most recent initiations and their logic, not the blended average.
Fundamentals check: what investors are weighing beneath the volatility
Even in a momentum tape, fundamentals still set the boundaries for long-term conviction — and today’s coverage repeatedly returns to the same core issue: quantum computing remains early, and Rigetti’s current revenue base is still small.
MarketBeat summarizes Rigetti’s most recently reported quarter (reported Nov. 10) as:
- Q3 revenue:$1.95M, down 18.1% year over year
- Q3 EPS:($0.03) (beating an estimate of ($0.05) in its recap)
- Profitability: described as a deeply negative net margin and negative return on equity in the recap
- Street expectation in that summary: roughly ‑$0.34 EPS for the year [13]
Zacks’ framing today is effectively: the strategic “stack control” is a differentiator, but the stock’s valuation looks demanding and execution discipline matters. [14]
What to know before the market opens tomorrow (Dec. 24): schedule, liquidity, and catalysts
Tomorrow is not a standard session — and that matters a lot for a stock like RGTI.
1) The U.S. stock market closes early on Christmas Eve
Both NYSE and Nasdaq calendars indicate an early close at 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025 (with NYSE noting 1:15 p.m. ET for eligible options). [15]
That means less time for the market to digest headlines, and potentially more exaggerated moves because volume can be lighter than usual.
2) Pre-market and after-hours carry extra risk — and tomorrow can magnify it
Nasdaq’s trading-hours guidance notes that extended-hours trading (pre-market and after-hours) typically has higher volatility and less liquidity than the core session. [16]
For RGTI specifically, tonight’s mild after-hours bounce is worth watching — but keep in mind: extended-hours prints can be thin and may not hold once the broader market opens.
3) Bond market timing (and broader liquidity conditions) may also be different
SIFMA’s holiday schedule communications confirm an early close on Dec. 24 for U.S. bond markets (typically 2:00 p.m. ET in their recommendations) and notes that the federal department closure announcement doesn’t change that recommendation. [17]
Even if you’re trading equities, bond-market liquidity can influence overall risk appetite — especially late December.
RGTI levels and “tells” to watch into Wednesday’s open
If you’re tracking Rigetti into the Dec. 24 open, here are the practical markers investors typically watch in a high-volatility name:
- After-hours direction into 8:00 p.m. ET: Does the stock hold above ~$25.30, fade back toward the close, or push higher? [18]
- Key reference close:$25.11 (today’s close) and $26.88 (Monday close) — these are psychologically important in a two-day swing trade. [19]
- Support zone from today: near $24.91 (today’s low) [20]
- Near-term resistance: the mid-$26s (today’s high $26.73) and the prior close zone near $26.88 [21]
- Volume check: Monday’s ~59.8M shares vs. Tuesday’s ~34.2M shares — does volume contract further on the shortened session, or does volatility attract another surge of activity? [22]
Bottom line: what Rigetti investors should take away tonight
Rigetti (RGTI) is heading into Wednesday morning with a clear setup:
- The stock delivered a major momentum gain Monday, then pulled back hard Tuesday, with a small after-hours rebound. [23]
- Today’s “news flow” is dominated by market recaps and research framing — especially around vertical integration (bull case) and valuation/cash burn (bear case). [24]
- Tomorrow’s session is holiday-shortened (early close 1:00 p.m. ET), which can intensify the very forces that already drive RGTI: liquidity, sentiment, and fast-moving positioning. [25]
For investors and traders, the most important practical reality is this: RGTI is behaving like a sentiment and positioning instrument right now, not a slow-and-steady fundamentals compounder — and that makes premarket headlines, analyst commentary, and liquidity conditions unusually influential into the Dec. 24 open.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice.
References
1. www.benzinga.com, 2. stockanalysis.com, 3. stockanalysis.com, 4. www.benzinga.com, 5. www.marketbeat.com, 6. www.marketbeat.com, 7. www.nasdaq.com, 8. www.nasdaq.com, 9. www.forbes.com, 10. www.marketbeat.com, 11. www.benzinga.com, 12. www.marketbeat.com, 13. www.marketbeat.com, 14. www.nasdaq.com, 15. www.nyse.com, 16. www.nasdaq.com, 17. www.sifma.org, 18. www.benzinga.com, 19. stockanalysis.com, 20. stockanalysis.com, 21. stockanalysis.com, 22. stockanalysis.com, 23. stockanalysis.com, 24. www.nasdaq.com, 25. www.nyse.com
