Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The life sciences company reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.09, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Illumina had a net margin of 16.40% and a return on equity of 29.21%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. Illumina updated its FY 2026 guidance to 5.050-5.200 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Illumina’s conference call:

• Illumina beat Q4 expectations with $1.16B in revenue, delivered 20% clinical consumables growth ex‑China in Q4, expanded non‑GAAP operating margin and returned roughly $740M to shareholders via buybacks.
• High‑throughput momentum: the company placed >100 NovaSeq X systems in Q4 (active install base ~890), total sequencing output grew >30% YoY, and conversion to NovaSeq X is largely complete for research customers, driving consumables pull‑through.
• Strategic expansion into multi‑omics and data/software: closed the SomaLogic acquisition (upfront $350M), launched BioInsight and the Billion Cell Atlas, and announced initial pharma collaborations (AstraZeneca, Merck, Eli Lilly).
• 2026 outlook is modestly positive but mixed: guidance of $4.5–$4.6B (2%–4% organic ex‑China) and EPS $5.05–$5.20 (includes $0.18 SomaLogic dilution) while China export restrictions, tariff headwinds (~205 bps impact) and expected mid‑to‑high single‑digit research declines pose risks.

Illumina Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:ILMN opened at $133.61 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $138.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $115.99. Illumina has a 1 year low of $68.70 and a 1 year high of $155.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Illumina News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Illumina this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Illumina reported $1.35 GAAP/non‑GAAP EPS (beat consensus) and $1.16B in revenue (above estimates), showing 5% YoY revenue growth for the quarter. This confirms near‑term operating leverage and profitability. Zacks: Tops Q4 Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 revenue guide lifted — Illumina gave 2026 revenue guidance of $4.5B–$4.6B (above Street revenue consensus), signaling expected mid-single-digit growth and underlying demand momentum. That revenue guide is a key upside catalyst for FY26. Press Release / Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Operational tailwinds — Management highlighted clinical consumables growth, expansion into multiomics and margin momentum (non‑GAAP op margin guidance ~23.3–23.5%), supporting durable revenue mix improvement and higher-margin recurring revenue. Yahoo Deep Dive
• Neutral Sentiment: SomaLogic acquisition and dilution — Guidance includes ~$0.18 EPS dilution and ~100bps margin headwind from the recently closed SomaLogic deal; strategic for multiomics but a modest near‑term drag. PR Newswire: Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Full call and disclosures available — The earnings call transcript, slide deck and SEC/press materials are posted for deeper review of segment trends and backlog — useful for modeling revenue cadence and margin drivers. Seeking Alpha Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: FY2025 revenue flat — Full-year 2025 revenue was essentially flat vs. 2024, a disappointment to some investors who had hoped for stronger recovery; this disappointment is the main reason shares are down despite the quarterly beat. Investing.com: Shares Tumble

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ILMN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Illumina in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $109.00 target price on Illumina in a report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Illumina from $105.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays upped their price objective on Illumina from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Illumina from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Illumina has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $127.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Illumina news, insider Scott M. Davies sold 323 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.09, for a total transaction of $43,957.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,887 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,434,241.83. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Illumina in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Illumina during the third quarter valued at approximately $102,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Illumina in the second quarter valued at approximately $165,000. Glenmede Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Illumina in the third quarter worth approximately $220,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Illumina in the third quarter worth approximately $220,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.42% of the company’s stock.

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.