Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance
by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat GemIllumina (NASDAQ:ILMN – Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 5.150-5.300 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 5.120. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.5 billion-$4.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.5 billion.
Illumina Trading Up 7.1%
Shares of NASDAQ:ILMN traded up $9.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $135.78. 2,773,595 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,369,203. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.72. Illumina has a 1 year low of $73.86 and a 1 year high of $155.53. The firm has a market cap of $20.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $125.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.43.
Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The life sciences company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.05 by $0.10. Illumina had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 31.71%. The company had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Illumina has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.150-5.300 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Illumina will post 5.12 EPS for the current year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Illumina in a research report on Friday. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Illumina from $110.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $135.00 price target on shares of Illumina in a research report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Illumina from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Illumina from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $130.13.
View Our Latest Stock Report on ILMN
Insider Activity
In other news, SVP Patricia Leckman sold 2,370 shares of Illumina stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.18, for a total transaction of $275,346.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,321 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,896,173.78. The trade was a 12.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.
Illumina News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Illumina this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both EPS and revenue, with non‑GAAP EPS $1.15 vs. $1.05 consensus and revenue $1.09B (up 4.8% y/y); management raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $5.15–$5.30 and updated revenue targets — this underpins the stock strength. Illumina Reports Financial Results for First Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026
- Positive Sentiment: Management cited surging NovaSeq X demand and growth in clinical sequencing as a primary driver of revenue momentum — a product‑driven acceleration that supports durable top‑line growth. ILMN Q1 deep dive: Clinical sequencing fuels growth as NovaSeq X demand surges
- Positive Sentiment: Board authorized an additional $1.5B in share repurchases, expanding buybacks alongside better margins — a capital‑return boost that can support near‑term EPS and investor sentiment. Illumina lifts 2026 outlook and expands share buybacks
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are updating models: JPMorgan raised its price target to $125 but kept a “neutral” rating, reflecting mixed views on near‑term upside despite operational improvements. Analyst Price Target Update
- Negative Sentiment: Even with the PT bump, the $125 target implies a mid‑single‑digit to low‑double‑digit downside from current levels — a reminder that some analysts still see limited valuation upside and room for multiple compression. Analyst Price Target Update
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Illumina
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ILMN. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Illumina during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in Illumina by 975.6% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 441 shares of the life sciences company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its position in Illumina by 93.1% in the fourth quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 556 shares of the life sciences company’s stock valued at $73,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new stake in Illumina in the third quarter valued at $102,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Illumina in the second quarter valued at $165,000. 89.42% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Illumina
Illumina, Inc (NASDAQ: ILMN) is a global life sciences company that develops, manufactures and markets integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and function. Headquartered in San Diego, California and founded in 1998, Illumina offers a range of sequencing and array-based technologies used by academic researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, consumer genomics firms and agricultural researchers to enable discovery, translational research and clinical applications.
The company’s product portfolio includes next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms and associated consumables, microarrays for genotyping and methylation analysis, library preparation kits and targeted assays.