Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its price target on Illumina from $120 to $125 but kept a "neutral" rating, with the new target implying about a 6.7% downside from the prior close.
• Illumina beat Q1 estimates (EPS $1.15, revenue $1.09B), raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $5.15–$5.30 and authorized a $1.5B share buyback, catalysts that helped the stock jump roughly 5.7% to $133.99.
• Street sentiment is mixed—consensus is a "Hold" with an average price target of $130.13—while institutional ownership is very high (~89%), and insiders have made small share sales.

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN - Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $120.00 to $125.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the life sciences company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target suggests a potential downside of 6.71% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $137.00 price objective on shares of Illumina in a report on Friday, February 6th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Illumina in a report on Friday. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Illumina in a report on Friday, February 6th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Illumina from $195.00 to $170.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Illumina from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $130.13.

Illumina Stock Up 5.7%

Illumina stock traded up $7.25 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $133.99. 1,026,722 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,872,967. The company has a market cap of $20.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.49. Illumina has a twelve month low of $73.86 and a twelve month high of $155.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.72, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a fifty day moving average of $125.68 and a 200-day moving average of $126.43.

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The life sciences company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.10. Illumina had a net margin of 19.57% and a return on equity of 31.04%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.97 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Illumina has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.150-5.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Illumina will post 5.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,321 shares in the company, valued at $1,896,173.78. This trade represents a 12.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Illumina

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ILMN. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Illumina by 113.7% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 9,284 shares of the life sciences company's stock worth $737,000 after acquiring an additional 4,940 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Illumina during the 2nd quarter worth $621,000. CW Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Illumina during the 2nd quarter worth $275,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Illumina by 49.0% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 59,645 shares of the life sciences company's stock worth $5,691,000 after purchasing an additional 19,618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its position in Illumina by 30.9% during the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 7,404 shares of the life sciences company's stock worth $706,000 after purchasing an additional 1,748 shares during the last quarter. 89.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Illumina

Here are the key news stories impacting Illumina this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Illumina reported Q1 revenue of $1.09B (+4.8% YoY) and non‑GAAP EPS of $1.15, topping Street estimates and showing improved margins. This headline beat is a primary catalyst for the stock move. ILMN Q1 beat
• Positive Sentiment: Raised FY‑2026 guidance and updated targets — Management lifted FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $5.15–$5.30 and nudged revenue guidance; analysts see the raise as validating sustained growth and drive for valuation re‑rating. Guidance & buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized extra $1.5B share repurchase — A material buyback program reduces share count and supports EPS, often viewed positively by investors seeking capital‑return and confidence from management. PR: financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Call highlights and demand commentary — Earnings call and analyst coverage emphasize strong clinical market demand and operational progress, supporting the raised outlook. Earnings call highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Product/technology updates — New DRAGEN v4.5 genomics software upgrade (ML‑driven improvements) helps the long‑term precision‑medicine narrative and could support software/digital revenue mix. DRAGEN v4.5
• Neutral Sentiment: Deeper metric comparisons and transcript available — Multiple outlets published detailed metric comparisons and the full earnings call transcript for due diligence; useful for assessing sustainability of growth and margin trends. Earnings transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading liquidity lower today — Volume was below the stock's average, which can amplify intraday moves; consider execution risk if trading large positions. Market data

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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