Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Illumina raised its FY 2026 EPS guidance to $5.30–$5.40, above the $5.23 analyst consensus, while revenue guidance of approximately $4.6 billion matched expectations.
• The company’s latest quarter beat estimates, with revenue of $1.16 billion versus the $1.13 billion consensus and adjusted EPS of $1.31 versus $1.23 expected. Operating profit also increased year over year.
• Investor sentiment remains mixed: several analysts raised price targets, but the stock’s consensus rating is still “Hold,” while substantial insider selling and a recent share price near $205 may limit further upside.

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 5.300-5.400 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 5.230. The company issued revenue guidance of $4.6 billion-$4.6 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $4.6 billion.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of Illumina from $175.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Illumina from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Illumina in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Illumina from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $155.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Illumina from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.88.

Illumina Price Performance

ILMN traded up $10.27 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $205.09. The company had a trading volume of 2,763,077 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,887,874. Illumina has a twelve month low of $88.00 and a twelve month high of $205.47. The company has a market capitalization of $31.03 billion, a PE ratio of 37.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.75. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $174.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $146.38.

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The life sciences company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.08. Illumina had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. Illumina has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.300-5.400 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Illumina will post 5.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Illumina news, SVP Patricia Leckman sold 783 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $162.59, for a total value of $127,307.97. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 21,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,456,500.81. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Christensen Jakob Wedel sold 700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.04, for a total value of $97,328.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,056 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,093,386.24. The trade was a 4.44% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,003,769 shares of company stock worth $155,710,908. 2.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Illumina News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Illumina this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings beat expectations: Illumina reported $1.16 billion in revenue, up approximately 9.5% year over year and ahead of the $1.13 billion consensus estimate. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.35, while non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.31, exceeding analysts’ $1.23 forecast. Illumina Reports Financial Results for Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Improved operating performance: Gross profit rose 10.8% to $770 million, and operating profit increased 14.5% to $245 million. GAAP operating margin was 21.1%, supported by revenue growth and improved efficiency. The company also generated $201 million in operating cash flow and ended the quarter with $1.04 billion in cash.
• Positive Sentiment: Raised earnings outlook and strategic partnership: Illumina set fiscal 2026 EPS guidance at $5.30-$5.40, above the $5.23 analyst consensus, while revenue guidance was broadly in line with expectations. Eli Lilly also joined Illumina’s Billion Cell Atlas alliance, potentially strengthening Illumina’s role in genomic data and AI-driven drug discovery. Eli Lilly Joins Illumina’s Billion Cell Atlas
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed investor signals: Institutional investors had mixed positioning, with some large funds adding shares and others reducing holdings. Recent analyst targets have a median of $185, below the stock’s latest trading level, suggesting valuation and expectations may limit additional upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and lower net income: Insiders recorded 41 sales versus one purchase over the past six months, including substantial selling by Keith Meister. Net income attributable to common shareholders declined 11.9% year over year to $207 million, despite stronger revenue and operating profit.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Illumina

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Compound Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Illumina during the 4th quarter valued at $211,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Illumina by 97.0% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,747,986 shares of the life sciences company's stock worth $360,426,000 after purchasing an additional 1,352,731 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illumina during the fourth quarter worth $215,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Illumina by 927.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 128,746 shares of the life sciences company's stock worth $16,886,000 after purchasing an additional 116,219 shares during the period. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp increased its holdings in Illumina by 242.5% in the fourth quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 13,700 shares of the life sciences company's stock valued at $1,797,000 after purchasing an additional 9,700 shares during the last quarter. 89.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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