2 Stocks To Buy Before the White House’s 2030 Deadline

There's a new catalyst sitting on top of the entire quantum computing sector right now, and almost nobody's talking about it. 

Nope. It’s not the $2 billion government funding headlines you've already seen. I’m talking about two recent executive orders with actual deadlines attached. Below, I’m going to break down the upcoming events that could spur a HUGE quantum hardware race. And since I want you to be able to take action today, I’ll hand you a data-driven take on four stocks sitting right in it, including a couple of pure-plays like Rigetti Computing and more.

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WHAT HAPPENED?

The White House recently signed two companion executive orders on quantum technology: one focused on building quantum computing capabilities, and another on defending against the threat. The second order requires federal agencies and contractors to move key systems to quantum-resistant encryption by the end of 2030, roughly four to five years earlier than previously planned. That urgency stems from the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat—adversaries can steal encrypted data today and unlock it once sufficiently powerful quantum computers exist.

That creates a two-sided investment opportunity. Quantum hardware companies could benefit from increased funding and attention, but several popular names have serious weaknesses. Meanwhile, a less-discussed group may offer the more investable angle: cybersecurity companies helping agencies and contractors meet a firm compliance deadline. 

Today, I’ll examine two quantum pure plays, one cybersecurity company positioned to benefit directly, and another stock with a legitimate—but less obvious—connection to the story.

Let’s get to the stocks…

THE HARDWARE PURE-PLAYS

Let's start with the side of this trade everyone already knows about: The Pure-plays. I’m going to share two that I think are worth watching — but with a few important caveats.

I’ll start with one of the biggest names in the space, Rigetti Computing (RGTI).

Rigetti actually owns and operates its own chip fabrication facility, which is a real edge — most quantum companies rely on outside partners to manufacture hardware, and Rigetti builds its own. 

They're building superconducting qubits, the same basic approach as Google and IBM, so they're in serious technical company.

Analysts are pretty pumped on the stock; as of the week I’m recording, some forecasts imply that the stock could see nearly 150% upside in the coming year. 

Here’s the “but.”

As I referenced earlier, there’s an issue with most of these pure-plays, and it’s evident when you look at our quant rating system, which evaluates every stock on 115 factors to identify those most likely to outperform the market. The overall rating is expressed as a letter grade. 

The Zen Rating on RGTI is a C — a Hold recommendation from our model. 

Each rating is further broken down into 7 Component Grades that look at key areas like Growth, Sentiment, and more.

When you look at the Component Grades, Growth is the standout at a B — modest, real revenue growth. But Value, Momentum, and Safety are all D's, and the AI grade is an F.

And here’s something else that should give you pause. Insider selling at Rigetti has been active in recent months — directors and executives selling shares, including a sizable sale from the company's CTO. 

When people close to the business are selling into strength, that's worth factoring in, even when the broader Wall Street picture looks bullish.

So while Rigetti has a real technical edge and a real government-adjacent story, the fundamentals may not be there yet.

So what would need to change for this one to warrant serious consideration? 

The Zen Rating needs to climb out of Hold, ideally to a B. And I'd want to see that Safety grade improve and the insider selling slow down. Until then, it’s watch-only. 

The case is similar for the next pick. But don’t worry. I am going to share some stocks with stronger fundamentals later on, so keep reading.

Next up is another pure-play, Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT)

QUBT takes a different technical approach — photonics instead of the deep cryogenic cooling most quantum hardware needs, which in theory means it could scale more cheaply if the engineering holds up. 

The reason why I call this one “watchlist only”? It’s a very mixed bag in terms of fundamentals, catalysts, and coverage. Let’s dig in a little.

Revenue has jumped — but a lot of that came from two acquisitions the company closed this year, not purely from organic growth, so it's worth being precise about that when you look at the headline number. And the company is still deeply unprofitable, with a profit margin sitting in negative triple digits. 

Here's the interesting wrinkle, though. In April, five different company directors each bought roughly $150,000 worth of stock on the same day. That's a real cluster of insider buying. But zoom out to the full twelve months, and insiders have still sold more than they've bought overall. Both things are true at once — recent buying, net selling.

As for analyst coverage, well — that part IS exciting, at least at first glance. The Consensus recommendation is Buy, and one price target indicates the stock has 250% upside potential in the coming year. But dig a little deeper and you’ll see that street-high comes from one of the lowest-ranked analysts we track, so take that with a grain of salt. 

The Zen Rating here is actually a D — a Sell recommendation from our model, one notch worse than Rigetti. Growth is the one bright spot at a B. Everything else is rough: Value F, Safety F, Financials F, AI F.

So yes, it’s interesting technology, and there’s an actual insider buying signal worth noting, but the Zen Rating is the worst of the two hardware names we've covered today. So what would need to change to make this a serious contender? 

The Zen Rating has to climb out of Sell territory — I want to see at least a B before I'm interested. And I'd want the Safety and Financials grades to come off F entirely. Until then, this one stays a watchlist name. 

Now for what you’re really looking for — stocks sending out bullish signals right NOW. 

THE LESS-COVERED SIDE OF THE TRADE

Now here's the side of this story almost nobody's covering — the defense.

Remember, this executive order doesn't just fund quantum computers. It forces a mandatory encryption overhaul across the federal government and every contractor that touches it. Somebody has to actually build that. That's not a hardware problem — that's a cybersecurity problem.

The first stock to discuss here? Fortinet (FTNT).

This is a cybersecurity infrastructure company that sells the kind of network security and encryption tools that touch exactly this kind of compliance work. 

With every federal agency and contractor now racing to hit that quantum-resistant encryption deadline, this is precisely the kind of company positioned to pick up that demand — and the stock has already climbed over 100% in just the past three months.

Yet signs indicate that this impressive trajectory could continue.

5 analysts we track currently recommend FTNT as a Strong Buy, with Shaul Eyal of TD Cowen — a top 5% ranked analyst based on historical stock-picking performance — calling for nearly 30% potential upside in the coming year. 

And unlike the hardware names we just covered, the Zen Rating actually likes what it sees here.

FTNT carries a Zen Rating of B, which amounts to a Buy recommendation. 

Look at the Component Grades and the standout is Financials, an A. That's the one grade none of the hardware pure-plays came close to touching. Momentum and Sentiment are both B's as well. This is a company our quant model actually trusts across multiple dimensions, not just one bright spot propping up a weak scorecard.

So here's the bottom line on Fortinet. This is the stock that best represents the less-obvious half of this trade — the compliance and encryption overhaul that this executive order is forcing across the federal government and its contractors. Real profitability, a Zen Rating that actually agrees with the fundamentals, even if Wall Street's a little more cautious in the near term.

THE BONUS PICK — NOT A PURE PLAY, BUT A REAL CONNECTION

I had to share one more pick with you — and it might surprise you. No, it’s not a pure quantum play, and isn't a pure cybersecurity play either, but has a legitimate tie to this story that most coverage isn't connecting.

You know the name, but you probably hadn’t tied it to quantum computing…

Nvidia (NVDA).

The company isn’t building quantum computers. But its GPU infrastructure and its CUDA-Q software platform are the backbone that a lot of hybrid quantum-classical computing research actually runs on today. 

Real quantum systems don't work in isolation — they need massive classical computing power sitting alongside them to be useful, and that's exactly the kind of infrastructure Nvidia already dominates. I want to be clear that's an adjacent connection, not a direct one — Nvidia isn't a quantum stock, it's infrastructure that quantum research increasingly depends on.

And there's a live catalyst tying back to everything we've talked about today. Nvidia shares moved higher recently on reports that U.S. government-approved shipments of its H200 chips to China have begun — a reminder that this entire story, quantum computing, encryption, national security, and who gets access to advanced compute, is all part of the same broader thread. Export controls, national security policy, and technology leadership are increasingly the same conversation.

Nvidia has resoundingly bullish analyst coverage. Among the 25 analysts covering the stock, every recommendation is either a Buy or Strong Buy, with some price targets suggesting the stock could see over 130% upside from current levels, even after its monster run over the past few years. 

The Zen Ratings support this optimistic take. 

The Zen Rating on NVDA is a B, amounting to a Buy recommendation. Financials is the standout grade at an A, and Value comes in at a B as well, which is notable for a company this size. I do want to flag one weak spot honestly: Safety comes in at a D. That's worth knowing before you size any position. 

This is the stock where our model and Wall Street actually line up, where the fundamentals are the strongest of anything we've covered, and where the connection to this story — while less direct — is real and growing more relevant, not less. The one honest flag is that Safety grade, which is worth factoring into how you size any position here.

FORWARD-LOOKING TAKE

Here's what I'd actually do with this. Don't chase the hardware names just because they're loud and moving fast — the Zen Ratings on both Rigetti and Quantum Computing are telling you the fundamentals haven't caught up to the story yet. 

Add them to your free watchlist on wallstreetzen.com.

Let the ratings and the insider activity tell you when that changes. 

But don't ignore the quieter half of this trade — the cybersecurity and infrastructure names that are already positioned to benefit from a deadline that isn't going away.

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