Latest news with #CollegePark
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Collier scores 26 points, Lynx use challenges in OT to top Dream, who rallied after weather delay
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Napheesa Collier scored 26 points and the Minnesota Lynx successfully challenged two foul calls in the last minute of overtime to beat Atlanta 96-92 on Friday night in a game that saw the Dream rally after a weather-related delay in the second quarter. The Lynx were up 92-90 when challenges reversed foul calls on Atlanta drives with 54.8 and 20.5 seconds to go. Kayla McBride then made four free throws in the last 17.5 seconds to secure the win. Advertisement McBride scored 18 points for the Lynx (13-2) to surpass 5,000 for her career. Courtney Williams added 16 points and Bridget Carleton 14. Minnesota made 13 3-pointers and 17 of 18 free throws. Brionna Jones had 18 points, Allisha Gray scored 17 and Brittney Griner 16 for the balanced Dream (10-6). Rhyne Howard added 15 points, Jordan Canada had 14 and reserve Naz Hillmon 10. Atlanta had a season-high 52 points in the paint to 24 for Minnesota. After missing two games, Collier helped the Lynx get off to a strong start. Her basket — giving her 13 points — pushed the lead to 45-28 midway through the second quarter. But moments later the lights flickered off and on in the Gateway Center Arena, the result of severe thunderstorms outside. The game was delayed for eight minutes. When play resumed, the Dream were a different team, outscoring the Lynx 38-15, with Canada's back-to-back shots push the lead to 66-60 with 3:50 left in the third quarter. Advertisement The Lynx recovered to take a 69-68 lead after three quarters. The Dream led by seven in the fourth quarter. Collier's free throws tied the score at 86 with 21 seconds left in regulation and Atlanta didn't get a good look on the final shot. ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Market Risk Overshadows IonQ's 466% Stock Surge
IonQ (IONQ) has established itself as a leading player in the quantum computing space, with its shares surging an impressive 466% since this time last year. The company's differentiated trapped-ion architecture and strong integration across major cloud platforms have garnered significant investor interest. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter However, despite its technological strengths, IonQ's current valuation reflects elevated multiples and persistent profitability challenges. As a result, the risk-reward profile has become more nuanced. While the company's long-term potential remains compelling, I believe the stock is fairly priced at present, and I therefore maintain a Hold rating. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has established itself as a quantum computing leader through its distinctive trapped-ion architecture. The firm offers quantum computing as a service (QCaaS) through cloud platforms like Amazon Braket, Microsoft Azure Quantum, and Google Cloud. Users can also run quantum programs remotely on IonQ's hardware, without having to own the machines. The business model revolves around becoming a platform provider for next-generation computing, similar to how NVIDIA (NVDA) enables AI with GPUs, IonQ wants to enable quantum breakthroughs with trapped-ion systems. These systems can operate at room temperature while maintaining fidelity rates of 99.9% for two-qubit gates, providing significant advantages over competitors that require extremely cold operating conditions. Not intent on standing still, the company recently announced its largest acquisition, with the $1 billion purchase of Oxford Ionics, combining the stack with a proprietary ion-trap-on-chip architecture. Additional acquisitions include Lightsynq Technologies and a controlling stake in ID Quantique, representing a further $1 billion. These massive strategic moves demonstrate a commitment to building a comprehensive quantum ecosystem, though a significant dilution of between 7-11% of shares raises substantial concerns about shareholder value. Technological expansion through acquisitions is promising to a degree, but numerous execution risks remain, given the complexity of integrating multiple quantum technologies. IonQ's revenue trajectory highlights exceptional growth, rising from $1.6 million in 2021 to $43.1 million in 2024. Management forecasts revenue between $75 million and $95 million for 2025, implying a compound annual growth rate of approximately 200% since the company went public. This rapid acceleration reflects meaningful commercial traction and reinforces the growing demand for quantum computing solutions. IonQ holds a differentiated position as the only quantum hardware provider integrated across all major cloud platforms—Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. The company is targeting high-impact markets, particularly in cryptography, cybersecurity, and encryption, which offer substantial long-term potential. However, the path to profitability remains uncertain. In 2024, IonQ reported a net loss of $331.7 million, while operating expenses rose 38% year-over-year to $83.2 million in Q1 2025. Moreover, free cash flow remained significantly negative at -$123.7 million in 2024, underscoring the capital-intensive nature of quantum technology development. These financial challenges raise important questions about the timeline for achieving sustainable profitability. IonQ's competitive advantage stems from the distinctive strengths of its trapped-ion quantum architecture, which offers several benefits over superconducting approaches used by peers such as IBM (IBM) and Alphabet (GOOGL). Key differentiators include all-to-all qubit connectivity, longer coherence times, and significantly lower error correction overhead, estimated at a 13:1 ratio compared to approximately 100:1 for some competing platforms. While often complex for investors to understand, these details provide IonQ with a meaningful competitive advantage. The roadmap outlines a clear path to scaling, with plans to reach 100-qubit systems in the coming years and eventually millions of qubits through the integration of multi-core technology and photonic interconnects. An extensive patent portfolio of over 950 patents, spanning both quantum computing and networking, also provides additional competitive protection. Recent commercial deployments, including a $22 million Forte Enterprise quantum system to EPB in Chattanooga, demonstrate that practical applications are taking shape. While these developments are encouraging, the quantum computing market remains in its early stages, with uncertain commercial timelines and a heavy lean towards revenues generated in the U.S. for now, as reported by Main Street Data. While IonQ has established itself as a leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, several key risks warrant investor caution. The company remains significantly unprofitable, with ongoing cash burn primarily driven by substantial investments in research and development. Furthermore, the recent decision to discontinue disclosing forward bookings may raise concerns within the investment community regarding revenue visibility, complicating efforts to assess near-term growth momentum. Although the company's balance sheet is currently stable—with low leverage and a strong cash position—the persistently negative cash flow, as previously noted, presents a risk. Without meaningful progress toward improved financial efficiency, there is concern that the current capital position may not be sustainable over the long term. IonQ's reliance on government contracts and research partnerships presents another massive vulnerability, especially if public-sector funding priorities shift. And while its trapped-ion architecture has technical advantages for now, the broader field of quantum computing remains fairly experimental, with competitors pursuing alternatives that could scale more quickly or efficiently. Investors are ultimately betting not just on the company's execution, but on its very specific technological thesis proving correct. The quantum computing market presents enormous potential, with McKinsey research projecting that the market could reach $87 billion by 2035. However, this potential comes with significant valuation challenges that warrant caution. IonQ currently trades at approximately 135x projected 2025 sales, with an EV/Sales ratio of 232, dramatically above the sector median of 6.46, according to TipRanks data. While IonQ is operationally solid, these extreme valuation multiples create substantial downside risk if the company fails to meet lofty expectations. For now, a ~$10 billion market capitalization appears to reflect overly optimistic assumptions. Turning to Wall Street, IonQ carries a Strong Buy consensus rating based on four Buys, one Hold, and zero recent Sell ratings. At $43, IonQ's average stock price target implies about 13% upside potential. Moreover, according to TipRanks data, the mixed trend in insider transactions reflects the complex variables at play. A spike in recent activity shows both heavy buying and selling. While these transactions are often unrelated to future performance, large transaction volumes of this nature are unlikely to send encouraging signals to the market about leadership confidence. In my view, IonQ presents a nuanced investment case within the emerging quantum computing sector. The company benefits from a strong technical foundation, an expanding patent portfolio, a healthy balance sheet, and a growing network of commercial and research partnerships—all of which support its long-term potential. However, the current valuation appears to be ahead of near-term fundamentals. Continued operating losses and execution risks—especially in such an early-stage and capital-intensive industry—highlight the disconnect between market performance and business maturity. Currently, it appears that the stock's exceptional run may have outpaced the company's underlying progress. My Hold rating reflects a balanced view of the risk-reward profile. While IonQ's leadership in technology and strategic positioning is compelling, the premium valuation constrains upside potential and introduces meaningful downside risk. Investors may be best served by exercising patience, allowing the company time to demonstrate continued execution and for the market to recalibrate its expectations accordingly. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Atlanta faces Minnesota, seeks 7th straight home win
Minnesota Lynx (12-2, 11-1 Western Conference) at Atlanta Dream (10-5, 7-4 Eastern Conference) College Park, Georgia; Friday, 7:30 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta Dream will try to keep its six-game home win streak alive when the Dream face Minnesota Lynx. The Dream are 6-1 on their home court. Atlanta averages 11.5 turnovers per game and is 4- when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents. The Lynx have gone 5-2 away from home. Minnesota is third in the Western Conference with 34.1 rebounds per game led by Napheesa Collier averaging 8.5. Atlanta scores 83.5 points, 9.9 more per game than the 73.6 Minnesota gives up. Minnesota has shot at a 46.5% clip from the field this season, 3.8 percentage points higher than the 42.7% shooting opponents of Atlanta have averaged. The Dream and Lynx square off Friday for the first time this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Brionna Jones is averaging 13 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Dream. Allisha Gray is averaging 19.8 points over the last 10 games. Courtney Williams is averaging 12.8 points and 5.8 assists for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 15.2 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Dream: 7-3, averaging 83.3 points, 34.8 rebounds, 20.6 assists, 6.4 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 42.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 76.2 points per game. Lynx: 8-2, averaging 81.8 points, 33.9 rebounds, 22.3 assists, 8.4 steals and 6.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.1 points. INJURIES: Dream: None listed. Lynx: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Rhyne Howard scores 22, Allisha Gray adds 19 to help Dream beat Sky 93-80
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored 22 points, Allisha Gray added 19 and Brionna Jones had 13 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky 93-80. Rookie Te-Hina Paopao hit a career-high five 3-pointers and tied her season high with 16 points for Atlanta and Naz Hillmon scored 12. Angel Reese had 10 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Sky, a day after finishing with nine points and a career-low two rebounds in a 107-86 loss to Phoenix. Ariel Atkins scored a season-high 29 points and Elizabeth Williams added a season-best 16. Atlanta (10-4) has won five of six and nine of 11. The Dream hit five 3s — two by Paopao and one apiece by Gray, Howard and Hillmon — in a four-minute span to take an 84-75 lead with 4:35 left in the game. Howard made a wide-open corner 3 with 1:09 left and Jordin Canada hit two free throws with 41 seconds left to make it 91-80. Each team shot 42% from the field but the Dream hit 16 of 33 (49%) from 3-point range while Chicago made 4 of 15 from behind the arc. Chicago (3-10) has lost three consecutive games and six of seven. Up next The Dream play at Dallas and the Sky host Los Angeles on Tuesday. ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rhyne Howard scores 22, Allisha Gray adds 19 to help Dream beat Sky 93-80
COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Rhyne Howard scored 22 points, Allisha Gray added 19 and Brionna Jones had 13 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky 93-80. Rookie Te-Hina Paopao hit a career-high five 3-pointers and tied her season high with 16 points for Atlanta and Naz Hillmon scored 12. Advertisement Angel Reese had 10 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Sky, a day after finishing with nine points and a career-low two rebounds in a 107-86 loss to Phoenix. Ariel Atkins scored a season-high 29 points and Elizabeth Williams added a season-best 16. Atlanta (10-4) has won five of six and nine of 11. The Dream hit five 3s — two by Paopao and one apiece by Gray, Howard and Hillmon — in a four-minute span to take an 84-75 lead with 4:35 left in the game. Howard made a wide-open corner 3 with 1:09 left and Jordin Canada hit two free throws with 41 seconds left to make it 91-80. Each team shot 42% from the field but the Dream hit 16 of 33 (49%) from 3-point range while Chicago made 4 of 15 from behind the arc. Chicago (3-10) has lost three consecutive games and six of seven. Up next The Dream play at Dallas and the Sky host Los Angeles on Tuesday. ___ AP WNBA:
