Rigetti Computing (RGTI 2.52%) stock has been highly volatile across 2025's trading. Despite rising interest in quantum computing, the company's share price has seen massive swings recently and is down 6% year to date as of Aug. 21, even on the heels of some recent gains -- a performance that lags significantly behind the S&P 500's total return across the stretch.
While the stock would have delivered a loss for investors who bought shares at the beginning of this year, those who purchased shares at earlier points and held on to their positions could have scored massive gains. Read on for a look at what $1,000 investment in Rigetti three years ago would be worth today and what could be next for the company.
Image source: Getty Images.
Rigetti Computing stock has crushed the market over the last three years
Rigetti Computing had is initial public offering (IPO) through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in March 2022. While the company faced some significant valuation pressures in the months of trading shortly following its public debut, investors who adopted a buy-and-hold strategy with the stock three years ago would have scored impressive returns.
Despite the company issuing a large number of new shares in order to fund its operations, Rigetti Computing stock has soared roughly 185% over the three years ending Aug. 21. With those gains, a $1,000 investment in the company three years ago would now be worth roughly $2,845.
In mid-July Rigetti announced that it had cut its error rate roughly in half and achieved 99.5% median two-qubit gate fidelity for its 36-qubit quantum-computing system. Investors saw the development as an indication that the company could be moving closer to launching mainstream quantum computing services at profitable scale. On the other hand, Rigetti's big valuation run-up has also made shares a riskier play -- and the stock should probably only be considered by investors with high tolerance for risk.
