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Key Takeaways Illumina expects Q3 revenues of $1.14 billion and EPS of $1.38, reflecting year-over-year growth.ILMN may benefit from strong clinical demand, NovaSeq X placements and consumables growth.ILMN's new sequencing workflows, Billion Cell Atlas partnerships and proteomics offerings may drive growth.
Illumina, Inc. (ILMN - Free Report) is set to release third-quarter 2026 results on Oct. 29, after the closing bell.

The company posted adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31 in the last reported quarter, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 6.5%. Illumina beat earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.67%.

ILMN’s Q3 EstimatesThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s third-quarter revenues is pegged at $1.14 billion, which suggests 5% growth from the year-ago reported figure.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pinned at $1.38 per share, which implies a 3% rise from the year-ago actuals. The estimate has remained constant in the past 60 days.

Here’s a brief overview of the company’s performance leading up to this announcement.

Factors Likely to Have Shaped ILMN’s Q3 PerformanceIllumina currently has one reportable segment, Core Illumina, following the separation of GRAIL into an independent, publicly traded company in June 2024. The company is likely to have extended its solid first-half 2026 momentum into the third quarter, driven by growing demand for its technologies.

In the second quarter, Rest-of-World organic revenues exceeded the high end of management’s previous guidance. Demand for the NovaSeq X platform also remained strong, with more than 95 systems placed during the quarter, more than three years after its launch. These drivers, along with disciplined expense management, may have helped Illumina deliver stronger profitability and bottom-line performance in the third quarter.

Continued demand from clinical markets may have remained a key growth driver. Clinical growth across Rest-of-World markets may have benefited from broad-based strength across regions and applications, particularly in the United States and Canada. Strong instrument placements in recent quarters are expanding customers’ sequencing capacity, which may have driven consumables growth in the to-be-reported quarter.

However, research and academic markets may have remained under pressure as customers continued to exercise caution amid funding uncertainty. Although some improvement was seen in the second quarter, management noted that it was too early to call a recovery.

The transition to NovaSeq X may have progressed further in the third quarter. By the end of the second quarter, approximately 83% of sequencing volumes and 59% of revenues had transitioned to the platform. Despite the ongoing shift, Illumina’s sequencing consumables business may have continued to perform well. Strong demand for NovaSeq X and MiSeq i100 is also expected to have supported Sequencing instruments revenues.

Within Sequencing service and other, the company is likely to have continued to gain traction in its Billion Cell Atlas program, resulting in higher data revenues from biopharma customers. In July, the Billion Cell Atlas alliance added three new member companies, including AI-native drug developer Formation Bio.

Illumina’s recent innovations may have supported revenue growth in the third quarter. The company launched a whole-genome MRD research workflow, a tool that runs on NovaSeq systems, designed to help customers shorten assay development timelines and lower development costs. Illumina broadened its capabilities in spatial biology with the StrataMap Spatial sequencing-based workflow. It is also seeing sustained proteomics momentum following the close of the SomaLogic acquisition. Illumina’s SomaScan and SomaSeq offerings are generating strong interest and helping customers connect proteomics and genomic insights.

What Our Quantitative Model Predicts for ILMNPer our proven model, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold), along with a positive Earnings ESP, have a higher chance of beating estimates, which is exactly the case here, as you can see below:

Earnings ESP: Illumina has an Earnings ESP of +9.16%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Other Top MedTech PicksHere are some other medical stocks worth considering, as these also have the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this time:

Phibro Animal Health (PAHC - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +2.10% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is expected to release first-quarter fiscal 2027 results soon.

PAHC’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 18.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s first-quarter EPS indicates an increase of 8.2% from the year-ago quarter’s figure.

IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +0.59% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is slated to release third-quarter 2026 results on Nov. 2.

IDXX’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 5.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s third-quarter EPS implies a jump of 9.1% from the year-ago quarter’s figure.

Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX - Free Report) , or BD, has an Earnings ESP of +3.28% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company will release its fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 results on Nov. 5.

BD’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 2.94%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s fourth-quarter EPS calls for a rise of 2.5% from the year-ago quarter’s figure.

, /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced that members of its management team will participate at the following investor conference:

Upcoming Investor Conference

UBS Global Healthcare Conference on November 10, 2026

The fireside chat is scheduled for 07:15am PT (10:15am ET).

The webcast can be accessed through the Events & Presentations section of Illumina's website at investor.illumina.com. A replay will be archived on Illumina's website for at least 30 days following the event.

About Illumina

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and connect with us on X (Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Investors:
Conor McNamara
+1.858.291.6421
[email protected]

Media:
Christine Douglass
[email protected]

SOURCE Illumina, Inc.

If you are looking for a stock that has a solid history of beating earnings estimates and is in a good position to maintain the trend in its next quarterly report, you should consider Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) . This company, which is in the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry, shows potential for another earnings beat.

This genetic testing tools company has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 8.01%.

For the last reported quarter, Illumina came out with earnings of $1.31 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.23 per share, representing a surprise of 6.50%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $1.05 per share and it actually produced earnings of $1.15 per share, delivering a surprise of 9.52%.

Price and EPS Surprise

With this earnings history in mind, recent estimates have been moving higher for Illumina. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the company is positive, which is a great sign of an earnings beat, especially when you combine this metric with its nice Zacks Rank.

Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.

The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.

Illumina currently has an Earnings ESP of +9.16%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on October 29, 2026.

When the Earnings ESP comes up negative, investors should note that this will reduce the predictive power of the metric. But, a negative value is not indicative of a stock's earnings miss.

Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.

Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.

The new platform brings together advanced analysis, purpose-built AI, and curated biological data so researchers can move more quickly from complex genomic and multiomic data to actionable insight

Included in the new platform, latest DRAGEN update expands access to Illumina's award-winning secondary analysis across supported cloud and standard computing environment

, /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today debuted the Illumina BioInsight Platform, the company's first unified software environment designed to help researchers turn complex genomic and multiomic data into meaningful biological evidence. By bringing together Illumina's analysis applications, purpose-built AI innovations, and curated data resources in one environment, the platform delivers flexibility and accessibility, while reducing the need to assemble and manage separate informatics tools as research questions evolve.

Illumina today debuted the Illumina BioInsight Platform, the company’s first unified software environment.

BioInsight Data converts public and proprietary datasets into a harmonized, annotated, and reusable scientific catalog, alongside AI models designed specifically for genomics and multiomics applications. "BioInsight was built on an incredible history of data, software, and AI innovation that Illumina has delivered in the industry for more than a decade," said Rami Mehio, senior vice president and general manager of BioInsight at Illumina. "Now, BioInsight is accelerating our pace of innovation, and with the BioInsight Platform we are bringing customers one simple place to access the full breadth of our offerings across software, AI, and data. And the best part is, we are only getting started. Customers that use the BioInsight Platform will also have access to new capabilities in the future, empowering them to drive the next wave of biological insights for our industry."

Next-generation sequencing has transformed researchers' ability to generate genomic and multiomic data. However, the scale and complexity of those datasets have created a new challenge: turning data into insight efficiently. Illumina's BioInsight business unit was created one year ago to address that gap. AI has become an essential technology for quickly interpreting biological variation and prioritizing meaningful signals. The BioInsight Platform gives researchers access to Illumina's portfolio of genomic AI innovations, including the newly announced SpliceAI2 model for rare disease research.

With the launch of the BioInsight Platform, the business unit now brings together Illumina's data, AI, and software portfolio in an accessible single sign on. The BioInsight business also includes programs such as the Billion Cell Atlas, which connects proprietary data with leading biopharma partners to help advance the next generation of drug discovery and development.

Purpose-built AI helps researchers interpret biological variation at scale

The BioInsight AI Lab, the research arm of BioInsight, applies multiomic data and AI for variant effect prediction, variant effect prioritization, and training biological foundation models. Purpose-built for genomics, these AI models help researchers identify, prioritize, and interpret biologically relevant signals across increasingly complex datasets, enabling deeper exploration of disease biology and genetic variation.

DRAGEN v4.6 expands access to high-performance secondary analysis

Included with the BioInsight Platform is the newly released version of DRAGEN, DRAGEN v4.6, which expands where and how researchers can use the award-winning secondary analysis software. Data-residency requirements, infrastructure limitations, and operational needs can affect where and how genomic and multiomic analyses are performed. New deployment options, including DRAGEN software mode, allow organizations to run DRAGEN across supported cloud and standard CPU environments. DRAGEN v4.6 delivers consistent analysis across supported compute environments, giving organizations more flexibility to run DRAGEN in the environment that best fits their needs while maintaining confidence in their results.

Researchers are already leveraging DRAGEN software mode to support large-scale genomic discovery efforts. In collaboration with the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), a resource program of Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) in partnership with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF), DRAGEN is supporting approximately 170 active research projects investigating the genetic basis of Parkinson's disease. Faster processing and the ability to run analyses efficiently and consistently on a public cloud environment is helping GP2 accelerate and share their large genomic cohort studies.

"GP2 is driving research all around the world to investigate genetic risk and broaden our understanding of Parkinson's disease," said Andrew Singleton from the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program. "Software advances are crucial to help our researchers make sense of genetic data in a consistent, comprehensive, and scalable analysis environment. The combination of speed and scalability allows us to focus more on scientific questions and less on operational bottlenecks."

Curated biological data helps researchers put findings in context

The BioInsight Platform features expertly curated datasets for research spanning oncology, rare disease, population health, and multiomics. BioInsight Data converts public and proprietary datasets into a harmonized, annotated, and reusable scientific catalog, alongside AI models designed specifically for genomics and multiomics applications. These continuously updated datasets enable researchers to contextualize findings across studies, generate new hypotheses, and accelerate biological discovery.

The BioInsight Platform brings together Illumina's growing portfolio of informatics applications, including DRAGEN, Emedgene, Connected Multiomics, BioInsight Platform Core, BaseSpace, and BioInsight Data. The usage-based BioInsight Credits model replaces traditional annual subscriptions, letting researchers adopt the capabilities most relevant to their work while maintaining flexibility to evaluate new technologies as scientific needs evolve.

BioInsight is Illumina's data, software, informatics, and AI business, helping researchers, healthcare organizations, and biopharma companies transform genomic and multiomic data into biological insights. BioInsight enables customers to accelerate discovery, identify and validate drug targets, deepen understanding of disease biology, and advance precision medicine. BioInsight's growing portfolio includes the groundbreaking BioInsight AI Lab as well as resources such as the Billion Cell Atlas, which helps biopharma partners connect genetic signals to cellular mechanisms and biological function.

Illumina will showcase the BioInsight Platform next week at the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG) annual meeting in Montreal (booth #701). To learn more, researchers can sign up for a free trial of the BioInsight Platform here.

About Illumina  

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit illumina.com and connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. 

Contacts
Investors:
Illumina Investor Relations
858-291-6421
[email protected]

Media:
Christine Douglass
[email protected]

SOURCE Illumina, Inc.

In a rare disease research dataset, SpliceAI2 identified 17% more disease-relevant variants compared to other splicing models

Illumina's genomic AI models now collectively enable researchers to identify 2x as many variants with predicted biological impact

, /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today introduced SpliceAI2, a new genomic AI model designed to address one of the central challenges in genomics: understanding the functional consequences of genetic variation. SpliceAI2 helps researchers identify disease-relevant splice variants that otherwise may go unnoticed. Predicting splice effects is key to resolving variants of uncertain significance in rare disease research, hereditary cancer testing research, and drug discovery. When applied to a rare disease research dataset, SpliceAI2 identified 17% more disease-relevant variants compared to other splicing models.

SpliceAI2 helps researchers identify disease-relevant splice variants that otherwise may go unnoticed. "Variant effect prediction tools, such as SpliceAI2, are among the key areas of focus for the BioInsight AI Lab," said Rami Mehio, senior vice president and general manager of BioInsight at Illumina. "As researchers work to elucidate the effect of mutations, we are uniquely positioned to unite genomic data and scientific expertise at scale, delivering the AI tools that can advance discovery and human health."

The BioInsight AI Lab focuses on three main areas of scientific impact: generating genomic and multiomic data to power AI tools; developing genomic AI models for variant effect prediction and prioritization; and training biological foundation models.

"Illumina is advancing AI to systematically shrink the portion of the genome that remains uninterpretable," said Kyle Farh, vice president of Illumina's BioInsight AI Lab. "Genomics has driven some of the most consequential genetic disease breakthroughs of the past two decades. Today, we are equipping researchers with the next generation of technology to help understand the underlying causes of disease."

SpliceAI2, PromoterAI, and PrimateAI-3D form a suite of genomic AI models designed to help researchers assess the functional impact of genetic variation across a broad spectrum of variant effect types, including splice, promoter, and missense variants. Together, these genomic AI models now collectively enable researchers to identify up to twice as many variants with predicted biological impact.

SpliceAI2 enables state-of-the-art variant interpretation across rare disease and population health research

Accurate interpretation of the functional consequences of genetic variation remains a central challenge for life science research. Splicing is the process by which RNA transcripts are assembled before protein production. Splice variants can disrupt transcripts, alter gene function, and interfere with protein function. Cryptic splice sites contribute to a significant burden of rare disease cases but are challenging to identify through traditional approaches. SpliceAI2 improves researchers' ability to identify and interpret these variants and provides accurate prediction of cell type-specific splicing.

A newly released preprint from Illumina's BioInsight AI Lab evaluated SpliceAI2's performance against the original SpliceAI and alternative splice prediction models. According to analyses of matched DNA and disease phenotype data from Genomics England cohorts, SpliceAI2 identified 17% more disease-relevant splice variants than other models. Analysis of matched whole genome and RNA sequencing data from the NIH's Genotype-Tissue Expression Portal showed that SpliceAI2 improved quantification of splice site usage by 34% compared to the next best model. SpliceAI2 results also aligned more closely with downstream protein effects seen in UK Biobank proteomic datasets and better captured the effects of splice variants across multiple population genomics datasets. 

Researchers worldwide already use genomic AI from Illumina to drive deeper insights into their sequencing data. The first generation of SpliceAI has become the splice variant prediction tool of choice for researchers, cited in over 3,400 publications to date. It is incorporated into guidelines from ClinGen, a clinical research body that sets standards for clinical genomics, for splice variant interpretation. Trained on a dataset that is 100 times larger than the original SpliceAI, SpliceAI2 advances the model through significantly improved prediction of splice variants, enabling the detection of more disease-relevant variants while reducing the overall number of variants requiring review.

Customers on the frontline of rare disease and drug discovery research can easily access SpliceAI2 through Illumina's BioInsight applications, including DRAGEN Annotation for AI-powered and traditional variant annotation, and Emedgene for germline research.

BioInsight is Illumina's data, software, informatics, and AI business, helping researchers, healthcare organizations, and biopharma companies transform genomic and multiomic data into biological insights. BioInsight enables customers to accelerate discovery, identify and validate drug targets, deepen understanding of disease biology, and advance precision medicine. BioInsight's growing portfolio includes the groundbreaking BioInsight AI Lab as well as resources such as the Billion Cell Atlas, which helps biopharma partners connect genetic signals to cellular mechanisms and biological function.

Learn more about SpliceAI2 here

Read the full preprint here

About Illumina

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit illumina.com and connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Contacts

Investors:
Illumina Investor Relations
858-291-6421
[email protected]

Media:
Christine Douglass
[email protected] 

SOURCE Illumina, Inc.

Argent Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN – Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 14,634 shares of the life sciences company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,005,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Illumina during the second quarter worth about $3,374,423,000. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Illumina in the 2nd quarter valued at about $948,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Illumina during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,501,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Illumina during the 2nd quarter worth about $129,792,000. Finally, Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its position in Illumina by 235.8% during the 1st quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 11,080 shares of the life sciences company’s stock worth $1,366,000 after purchasing an additional 7,780 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.42% of the company’s stock.

Illumina Stock Up 4.3% Shares of ILMN traded up $11.62 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $284.66. 1,350,148 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,140,514. The firm has a market cap of $42.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 1.41. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $219.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $175.95. Illumina, Inc. has a 12-month low of $88.00 and a 12-month high of $284.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Illumina had a net margin of 18.36% and a return on equity of 29.84%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.19 earnings per share. Illumina has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.300-5.400 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Illumina, Inc. will post 5.36 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Buying and Selling In other Illumina news, Director Keith Meister sold 457,858 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.10, for a total value of $91,617,385.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,372,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $474,776,069.40. This represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,061,850 shares of company stock valued at $436,479,102. Insiders own 2.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages have weighed in on ILMN. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Illumina from $226.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Illumina from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Illumina from $220.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Illumina from $95.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Illumina in a report on Monday, August 31st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.69.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ILMN

Illumina Company Profile (Free Report)

Illumina, Inc develops and manufactures technologies used to analyze genetic variation and biological function. Its products are primarily based on next-generation sequencing, a method that enables researchers and clinicians to read DNA and RNA for applications including genomic research, disease studies, drug development and clinical testing.

The company offers sequencing instruments, consumables such as reagent kits and flow cells, and related software and informatics solutions. Illumina also provides services and support designed to help customers prepare samples, run sequencing workflows, interpret genomic data and integrate results into research or clinical operations.

Founded in 1998 and headquartered in San Diego, California, Illumina serves customers worldwide, including academic and government research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals, clinical laboratories and other healthcare organizations.

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Illumina (ILMN +0.04%) is building a deeper AI strategy around the biological data created by its sequencing technology. The Billion Cell Atlas, expanding drugmaker partnerships, and improving core business could create a new growth engine if Illumina can turn its scientific advantage into recurring commercial revenue.

Stock prices used were the market prices of Sept. 17, 2026. The video was published on Sept. 29, 2026.

Rick Orford has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Illumina. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Rick Orford is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through their link, they will earn some extra money that supports their channel. Their opinions remain their own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool.

Investors in Illumina, Inc. (ILMN - Free Report) need to pay close attention to the stock based on moves in the options market lately. That is because the January 15, 2027 $55.00 Put had some of the highest implied volatility of all equity options today.

What is Implied Volatility?Implied volatility shows how much movement the market is expecting in the future. Options with high levels of implied volatility suggest that investors in the underlying stocks are expecting a big move in one direction or the other. It could also mean there is an event coming up soon that may cause a big rally or a huge sell off. However, implied volatility is only one piece of the puzzle when putting together an options trading strategy.

What do the Analysts Think?Clearly, options traders are pricing in a big move for Illumina, but what is the fundamental picture for the company? Currently, Illumina is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) in the Medical - Biomedical and Genetics Industry that ranks in the Bottom 29% of our Zacks Industry Rank. Over the last 60 days, two analysts have increased their estimates for the current quarter, while one has revised his estimate downward. The net effect has taken our Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter to move from $1.35 per share to $1.36 per share in the same time period.

Given the way analysts feel about Illumina right now, this huge implied volatility could mean there’s a trade developing. Often times, options traders look for options with high levels of implied volatility to sell premium. This is a strategy many seasoned traders use because it captures decay. At expiration, the hope for these traders is that the underlying stock does not move as much as originally expected.

24.9.2026 20:05, DJI, SPX, QQQ

Americké akciové trhy se pohybují v mírně záporném pásmu, přičemž index Dow Jones odepisuje 0,38 % na 51 317,46 bodu, S&P 500 klesá o 0,12 % na 7 696,91 bodu a technologický Nasdaq Composite ztrácí 0,22 % na 26 876,34 bodu. Akcie postupně odmazávají hlubší ztráty díky zprávám o možném jednání mezi USA a Íránem o znovuotvření Hormuzského průlivu, což mírní obavy z vysokých cen energií a navazující inflace. Trhy však udržují pod tlakem prohlášení některých představitelů FEDu, kteří upozorňují na potřebu dalšího zvyšování úrokových sazeb.

Mezi sektory se nejvíce daří komunikačním službám se ziskem 1,4 %, energiím s růstem o 1 % a zdravotní péči, která přidává 0,6 %. Naopak nejslabším odvětvím jsou základní materiály se ztrátou 1,1 %, následované sektory průmyslu a informačních technologií, které shodně odepisují 0,6 %.

Na čele růstových akcií se nachází společnost Everpure (P) se ziskem 14 %. Výrazně posilují také Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) o 6,2 %, GoDaddy (GDDY) o 5,0 %, Illumina (ILMN) o 4,6 % a Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) o 4,4 %. Naopačnému tlaku čelí společnost MGM Resorts International (MGM), jejíž akcie propadají o 11 % v reakci na zprávu, že ze záměru na její převzetí odstoupila společnost People Inc. Ztráty zaznamenávají také Gen Digital (GEN) o 9,1 %, First Solar (FSLR) o 8,1 %, Rollins (ROL) o 6,9 % a Xylem (XYL) o 5,1 %.

Na komoditních trzích rostou ceny ropy. Americká ropa WTI přidává 3 % na 94,94 dolaru za barel a severomořský Brent se obchoduje kolem 106 dolarů. Spotové zlato naopak oslabuje o 0,6 % na 4 260,70 dolaru za unci. Na devizovém trhu posiluje dolarový index o 0,3 %, zatímco euro zůstává bez výraznějších změn na úrovni 1,1372 USD. Britská libra oslabuje o 0,1 % na 1,3220 USD a japonský jen ztrácí 0,4 % na 158,89 JPY za dolar. Výnosy dluhopisů pokračují v růstu. Desetileté americké dluhopisy dosahují výnosu 5,15 % a třicetileté dluhopisy vystupují na 5,44 %, což představuje nejvyšší úroveň od roku 2004.

Index Dow Jones -0,38 % na 51317,46 b.
S&P 500 -0,12 % na 7696,91 b.
Nasdaq Composite -0,22 % na 26876,34 b.

Index S&P 500 -0,12 % na 7696,91 b. Nejsilnější sektory S&P Změna Nejslabší sektory S&P Změna Komunikační služby +1,4 % Základní materiály -1,1 % Energie +1 % Průmysl -0,6 % Zdravotní péče +0,6 % Informační technologie -0,6 % Nejsilnější akcie S&P Změna Nejslabší akcie S&P Změna Everpure (P) +14 % MGM Resorts International (MGM) -11 % Charles River Laboratories International (CRL) +6,2 % Gen Digital (GEN) -9,1 % GoDaddy (GDDY) +5,0 % First Solar (FSLR) -8,1 % Illumina (ILMN) +4,6 % Rollins (ROL) -6,9 % Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) +4,4 % Xylem (XYL) -5,1 %
Daniel Marván, Fio banka, a.s.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreIf you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.8% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) San Diego, CA-based Illumina provides sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. The products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. Its customers include leading genomic research centers, academic institutions, government laboratories, hospitals as well as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, commercial molecular diagnostic and consumer genomics companies.

ILMN is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Momentum investors should take note of this Medical stock. ILMN has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 4.5% over the past four weeks.

For fiscal 2026, seven analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.17 to $5.36 per share. ILMN boasts an average earnings surprise of +9.7%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, ILMN should be on investors' short list.

Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.

Barclays analyst Eliana Merle upgraded Sagimet Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:SGMT) from Equal-Weight to Overweight and raised the price target from $8 to $18. Sagimet Biosciences closed at $10.71 on Tuesday. See how other analysts view this stock. B of A Securities analyst Craig Siegenthaler upgraded Figure Technology Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FIGR) from Underperform to Neutral and boosted the price target from $31 to $49. Figure Technology shares closed at $38.26 on Tuesday. See how other analysts view this stock. UBS analyst Doug Schenkel upgraded Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) from Neutral to Buy and raised the price target from $135 to $260. Illumina closed at $211.06 on Tuesday. See how other analysts view this stock. Wells Fargo analyst Timna Tanners upgraded Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) from Equal-Weight to Overweight and boosted the price target from $581 to $609. Martin Marietta Materials shares closed at $511.98 on Tuesday. See how other analysts view this stock. UBS analyst Doug Schenkel upgraded Waters Corporation (NYSE:WAT) from Neutral to Buy and raised the price target from $375 to $490. Waters closed at $402.91 on Tuesday. See how other analysts view this stock. Considering buying ILMN stock? Here’s what analysts think:

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Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) could be a solid choice for investors given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.

The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.

Individual investors often find it hard to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts, since these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. In these situations, the Zacks rating system comes in handy because of the power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements.

As such, the Zacks rating upgrade for Illumina is essentially a positive comment on its earnings outlook that could have a favorable impact on its stock price.

Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock PricesThe change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, and the near-term price movement of its stock are proven to be strongly correlated. That's partly because of the influence of institutional investors that use earnings and earnings estimates for calculating the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their bulk investment action then leads to price movement for the stock.

Fundamentally speaking, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade for Illumina imply an improvement in the company's underlying business. Investors should show their appreciation for this improving business trend by pushing the stock higher.

Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate RevisionsAs empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, tracking such revisions for making an investment decision could be truly rewarding. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions.

The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Earnings Estimate Revisions for IlluminaFor the fiscal year ending December 2026, this genetic testing tools company is expected to earn $5.36 per share, which is unchanged compared with the year-ago reported number.

Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Illumina. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 3%.

Bottom LineUnlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of "buy" and "sell" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a "Strong Buy" rating and the next 15% get a "Buy" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term.

You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>>

The upgrade of Illumina to a Zacks Rank #2 positions it in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term.

, /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Dow Jones Indices will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P 100, S&P MidCap 400, and S&P SmallCap 600 indices effective prior to the open of trading on Monday, September 21, 2026, to coincide with the quarterly rebalance. The changes ensure that each index is more representative of its market capitalization range. The companies being removed from the S&P SmallCap 600 are no longer representative of the small-cap market space.

Following is a summary of the changes that will take place prior to the open of trading on the effective date:

Effective Date 

Index Name 

Action 

Company Name 

Ticker 

GICS Sector 

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Addition

Dell Technologies

DELL

Information Technology

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Deletion

Honeywell Aerospace

HONA

Industrials

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Addition

Palo Alto Networks

PANW

Information Technology

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Deletion

NIKE

NKE

Consumer Discretionary

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Addition

Arista Networks

ANET

Information Technology

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Deletion

Simon Property Group

SPG

Real Estate

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Addition

Sandisk

SNDK

Information Technology

 Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 100

Deletion

Colgate-Palmolive

CL

Consumer Staples

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 500 

Addition

Bloom Energy

BE 

Industrials 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 500 

Deletion

Molson Coors Beverage

TAP 

Consumer Staples 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 500 

Addition 

Everpure

P 

Information Technology 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P 500

Deletion

The Trade Desk

TTD 

Communication Services

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 500 

Addition 

Illumina

ILMN 

Health Care 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P 500 

Deletion

Builders FirstSource 

BLDR 

Industrials 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Addition 

HubSpot

HUBS 

Information Technology 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P MidCap 400 

Deletion

Boston Beer

SAM 

Consumer Staples 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Addition 

AGNC Investment  

AGNC 

Financials 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Deletion

Capri Holdings

CPRI 

Consumer Discretionary 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Addition 

Corcept Therapeutics 

CORT 

Health Care 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Deletion

Everpure

P 

Information Technology 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Addition 

Brinker Intl

EAT 

Consumer Discretionary 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P MidCap 400 

Deletion

Illumina

ILMN 

Health Care 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

Herc Holdings  

HRI 

Industrials 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

N-able

NABL 

Information Technology 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

Delek US Holdings 

DK 

Energy 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion 

Shenandoah Telecommunications

SHEN 

Communication Services

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

AXT

AXTI 

Information Technology 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion 

Matthews Intl

MATW

Consumer Discretionary 

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

Arcutis Biotherapeutics  

ARQT 

Health Care 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion

Verra Mobility

VRRM 

Industrials 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition

AtriCure

ATRC

Health Care

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion

Franklin BSP Realty Trust

FBRT 

Financials

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

Capri Holdings

CPRI 

Consumer Discretionary 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion

NexPoint Residential Trust

NXRT 

Real Estate 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

Boston Beer

SAM 

Consumer Staples 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion 

Amerisafe 

AMSF 

Financials 

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

Molson Coors Beverage

TAP 

Consumer Staples

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Deletion

Cogent Communications Holdings

CCOI 

Communication Services

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600 

Addition 

The Trade Desk

TTD 

Communication Services

Sept 21, 2026 

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

Corcept Therapeutics 

CORT 

Health Care

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Addition 

Builders FirstSource

BLDR 

Industrials

Sept 21, 2026

S&P SmallCap 600

Deletion

Brinker Intl

EAT 

Consumer Discretionary 

ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES

S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing indices across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.

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Biondo Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 10,630 shares of the life sciences company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,869,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ILMN. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Illumina in the second quarter worth $32,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Illumina during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Illumina during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in Illumina during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Illumina in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. 89.42% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity In other Illumina news, Director Keith A. Meister sold 457,858 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.10, for a total transaction of $91,617,385.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,372,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $474,776,069.40. This trade represents a 16.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Scott D. Ericksen sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.10, for a total transaction of $225,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 14,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,243,394.60. The trade was a 9.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 2,095,958 shares of company stock worth $401,720,974 over the last three months. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms have issued reports on ILMN. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Illumina from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Barclays upped their price target on Illumina from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Illumina from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Illumina from $95.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Illumina from $192.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $188.40. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on ILMN

Illumina Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ ILMN opened at $219.40 on Monday. Illumina, Inc. has a 1 year low of $88.00 and a 1 year high of $220.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.80 and a quick ratio of 1.40. The company’s 50-day moving average is $188.01 and its 200 day moving average is $152.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.44.

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The life sciences company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.23 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. Illumina had a return on equity of 29.84% and a net margin of 18.36%.The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.19 earnings per share. Illumina has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.300-5.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Illumina, Inc. will post 5.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Illumina Here are the key news stories impacting Illumina this week:

Positive Sentiment: Illumina’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with earnings of $1.31 per share versus the $1.23 consensus estimate and revenue of $1.16 billion versus expectations of $1.13 billion. Revenue increased 9.4% year over year, while fiscal 2026 EPS guidance remains $5.30-$5.40. Illumina stock information Positive Sentiment: Several institutional investors increased their positions, including Marshall Wace, Cresset Asset Management and Empowered Funds. Hedge funds and other institutions collectively own approximately 89.4% of ILMN shares, indicating strong professional-investor participation. Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain mixed. Zacks Research upgraded the stock to “strong buy,” and Leerink Partners raised its target to $210, while Deutsche Bank downgraded the shares to “hold.” The overall consensus rating is “hold,” with an average target of $188.40—below recent trading levels. Analyst coverage of Illumina Negative Sentiment: Director Keith A. Meister sold 679,574 Illumina shares from August 19 through August 21 for approximately $145.6 million. The transactions reduced his ownership by roughly one-third, although he still holds about 1.41 million shares. The size and timing of the sales may raise concerns about insider conviction, even though the filings do not establish the reason for the transactions. SEC insider ownership filing Negative Sentiment: SVP Christensen Jakob Wedel also sold 1,033 shares under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The smaller, planned transaction is less concerning than Meister’s sales but adds to the recent pattern of insider selling. Illumina insider trading alert Illumina Company Profile (Free Report)

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.

Read More Five stocks we like better than Illumina VIG, VYM, and VYMI: Which Vanguard Dividend ETF Is Right for You? 3 Closed-End Funds to Maximize Dividend Payments Rocket Lab’s Sell-Off Is Fading—Is It Finally Safe to Buy? $27 Billion in Buybacks: 3 Stocks Betting Their Strong Runs Aren’t Over Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ILMN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN – Free Report).

Receive News & Ratings for Illumina Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Illumina and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, but may initiate a beneficial Long position through a purchase of the stock, or the purchase of call options or similar derivatives in ILMN over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.

The popular research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor, giving you access to daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens.

It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFor value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

The direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should always be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy, since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) San Diego, CA.-based Illumina Inc. provides sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. The products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. Its customers include leading genomic research centers, academic institutions, government laboratories, hospitals as well as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, commercial molecular diagnostic and consumer genomics companies.

ILMN is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. ILMN has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 10.3% for the current fiscal year.

For fiscal 2026, seven analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.17 to $5.34 per share. ILMN boasts an average earnings surprise of +9.7%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, ILMN should be on investors' short list.

Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) could be a solid addition to your portfolio given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This rating change essentially reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.

The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the system.

The power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements makes the Zacks rating system highly useful for individual investors, since it can be difficult to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts. These are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time.

As such, the Zacks rating upgrade for Illumina is essentially a positive comment on its earnings outlook that could have a favorable impact on its stock price.

Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock PricesThe change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, has proven to be strongly correlated with the near-term price movement of its stock. That's partly because of the influence of institutional investors that use earnings and earnings estimates for calculating the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their transaction of large amounts of shares then leads to price movement for the stock.

For Illumina, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade fundamentally mean an improvement in the company's underlying business. And investors' appreciation of this improving business trend should push the stock higher.

Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate RevisionsAs empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, tracking such revisions for making an investment decision could be truly rewarding. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions.

The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Earnings Estimate Revisions for IlluminaFor the fiscal year ending December 2026, this genetic testing tools company is expected to earn $5.34 per share, which is unchanged compared with the year-ago reported number.

Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Illumina. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 3%.

Bottom LineUnlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of "buy" and "sell" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a "Strong Buy" rating and the next 15% get a "Buy" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term.

You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>>

The upgrade of Illumina to a Zacks Rank #1 positions it in the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term.

Shares of Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) have been strong performers lately, with the stock up 8.7% over the past month. The stock hit a new 52-week high of $205.93 in the previous session. Illumina has gained 56.4% since the start of the year compared to the 0.1% gain for the Zacks Medical sector and the 2% return for the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry.

What's Driving the Outperformance?The stock has an impressive record of positive earnings surprises, having beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. In its last earnings report on July 30, 2026, Illumina reported EPS of $1.31 versus consensus estimate of $1.23 while it beat the consensus revenue estimate by 3.36%.

For the current fiscal year, Illumina is expected to post earnings of $5.28 per share on $4.56 in revenues. This represents a 9.09% change in EPS on a 5.09% change in revenues. For the next fiscal year, the company is expected to earn $5.99 per share on $4.86 in revenues. This represents a year-over-year change of 13.45% and 6.56%, respectively.

Valuation MetricsIllumina may be at a 52-week high right now, but what might the future hold for the stock? A key aspect of this question is taking a look at valuation metrics in order to determine if the company has run ahead of itself.

On this front, we can look at the Zacks Style Scores, as they provide investors with an additional way to sort through stocks (beyond looking at the Zacks Rank of a security). The individual style scores for Value, Growth, Momentum and the combined VGM Score run from A through F. The idea behind the style scores is to help investors pick the most appropriate Zacks Rank stocks based on their individual investment style.

Illumina has a Value Score of C. The stock's Growth and Momentum Scores are B and B, respectively, giving the company a VGM Score of B.

In terms of its value breakdown, the stock currently trades at 38.9X current fiscal year EPS estimates, which is a premium to the peer industry average of 20.8X. On a trailing cash flow basis, the stock currently trades at 30.5X versus its peer group's average of 12.9X. Additionally, the stock has a PEG ratio of 2.99. This isn't enough to put the company in the top echelon of all stocks we cover from a value perspective.

Zacks RankWe also need to consider the stock's Zacks Rank, as this is even more important than the company's VGM Score. Fortunately, Illumina currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy) thanks to favorable earnings estimate revisions from covering analysts.

Since we recommend that investors select stocks carrying Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B, it looks as if Illumina passes the test. Thus, it seems as though Illumina shares could still be poised for more gains ahead.

How Does ILMN Stack Up to the Competition?Shares of ILMN have been soaring, and the company still appears to be a decent choice, but what about the rest of the industry? One industry peer that looks good is NeoGenomics, Inc. (NEO - Free Report) . NEO has a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) and a Value Score of D, a Growth Score of B, and a Momentum Score of D.

Earnings were strong last quarter. NeoGenomics, Inc. beat our consensus estimate by 66.67%, and for the current fiscal year, NEO is expected to post earnings of $0.18 per share on revenue of $802.67 million.

Shares of NeoGenomics, Inc. have gained 0.9% over the past month, and currently trade at a forward P/E of 87.37X and a P/CF of 45.64X.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is in the top 37% of all the industries we have in our universe, so it looks like there are some nice tailwinds for ILMN and NEO, even beyond their own solid fundamental situation.

Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

, /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (Nasdaq: ILMN) ("Illumina" or the "company") today announced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Second quarter 2026 results

Revenue of $1.16 billion for Q2 2026, up 9.5% from Q2 2025 and up 8.1% excluding the impacts of currency, acquisitions, and China ("ROW1 organic revenue growth") GAAP operating margin of 21.1% and non-GAAP operating margin of 22.5% GAAP diluted EPS of $1.35 and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.31 "Illumina delivered strong results during the second quarter. Momentum continued to build through the first half of 2026, as our technology is enabling clinical customers to expand sequencing-intensive applications. Based on this performance, we are increasing our revenue and earnings guidance for the year," said Jacob Thaysen, Chief Executive Officer of Illumina. "Demand for NovaSeq X remains high as we expand our workflow and multiomics capabilities, broadening the value of Illumina's ecosystem."

Fiscal year 2026 guidance
For fiscal year 2026, we now expect:

Total revenue of $4.60-$4.64 billion, versus prior guidance of $4.52-$4.62 billion ROW organic revenue growth greater than 5%, versus prior guidance of 2%-4% Non-GAAP operating margin of 23.4%-23.6%, unchanged from prior guidance Non-GAAP diluted EPS of $5.30-$5.40, versus prior guidance of $5.15-$5.30  Second quarter results

GAAP

Non-GAAP (a)

Dollars in millions, except per share amounts

Q2 2026

Q2 2025

Q2 2026

Q2 2025

Revenue

$ 1,159

$ 1,059

$ 1,159

$ 1,059

Gross margin

66.4 %

65.6 %

68.2 %

69.4 %

Operating profit

$    245

$    214

$    260

$    252

Operating margin

21.1 %

20.2 %

22.5 %

23.8 %

Diluted EPS

$   1.35

$   1.49

$   1.31

$   1.19

(a)

See tables in "Results of Operations - Non-GAAP" section below for GAAP and non-GAAP reconciliations.

Capital expenditures for free cash flow purposes were $39 million for Q2 2026. Cash flow provided by operations was $201 million, compared to $234 million in the prior year period. Free cash flow (cash flow provided by operations less capital expenditures) was $162 million for the quarter, compared to $204 million in the prior year period. Depreciation and amortization expense was $70 million for Q2 2026. At the close of the quarter, the company held $1.17 billion in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments.

____________________

1

ROW = rest-of-world, excluding Greater China region due to our inclusion on China's Unreliable Entities List

Conference call information
The conference call will begin at 1:30 pm Pacific Time (4:30 pm Eastern Time) on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Interested parties may access the live webcast via the Investor Info section of Illumina's website or directly through the following link - https://illumina-earnings-call-q2-2026.open-exchange.net/. To ensure timely connection, please join at least ten minutes before the scheduled start of the call. A replay of the conference call will be posted on Illumina's website after the event and will be available for at least 30 days following.

Statement regarding use of non-GAAP financial measures
The company reports non-GAAP results for diluted earnings per share, gross margin, operating margin, and free cash flow, among others, in addition to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. The company's financial measures under GAAP include substantial charges such as amortization of acquired intangible assets, among others, that are listed in the reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release. Management has excluded the effects of these items in non-GAAP measures to assist investors in analyzing and assessing past and future operating performance. Non-GAAP operating margin and diluted earnings per share are key components of the financial metrics utilized by the company's board of directors to measure, in part, management's performance and determine significant elements of management's compensation. The company encourages investors to carefully consider its results under GAAP, as well as its supplemental non-GAAP information and the reconciliation between these presentations, to more fully understand its business. Reconciliations between GAAP and non-GAAP results are presented in this release.

The company provides forward-looking guidance on a non-GAAP basis. The company is unable to provide a reconciliation of forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP reported financial measures because it is unable to predict with reasonable certainty the impact of items such as acquisition-related costs, fair value adjustments to contingent consideration, gains and losses from strategic investments, asset impairments, restructuring activities, and the ultimate outcome of pending litigation, among others, without unreasonable effort. These items are uncertain, inherently difficult to predict, depend on various factors, and could have a material impact on GAAP reported results for the guidance period. For the same reasons, the company is unable to address the significance of the unavailable information, which could be material to future results.

Use of forward-looking statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors to which our business is subject that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are: (i) changes in the rate of growth in the markets we serve, including the proteomics market; (ii) the volume, timing and mix of customer orders among our products and services; (iii) our ability to adjust our operating expenses to align with our revenue expectations; (iv) our ability to successfully integrate SomaLogic, Inc. and certain other assets we acquired from Standard BioTools Inc. (the SomaLogic Business) into our existing operations and the SomaLogic Business' technology and products into our portfolio; (v) our ability to successfully manage partner and customer relationships in the proteomics market; (vi) uncertainty regarding the impact of our inclusion on the "unreliable entities list" by regulatory authorities in China; (vii) uncertainty regarding tariffs imposed or threatened by the U.S. government and its trading partners, related court proceedings or administrative actions (including potential refund or relief programs), and other possible tariffs or trade protection measures and our efforts to mitigate the impact of such tariffs; (viii) our ability to manufacture robust instrumentation and consumables, including the SomaLogic Business' products; (ix) the success of products and services competitive with our own; (x) challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, and launching new products and services, including expanding or modifying manufacturing operations and reliance on third-party suppliers for critical components; (xi) the impact of recently launched or pre-announced products and services on existing products and services; (xii) our ability to modify our business strategies to accomplish our desired operational goals; (xiii) our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from prior or future actions to streamline and improve our R&D processes, reduce our operating expenses and maximize our revenue growth; (xiv) our ability to further develop and commercialize our instruments, consumables, and products; (xv) our ability to deploy new products, services, and applications, and to expand the markets for our technology platforms; (xvi) the risk of additional litigation arising against us in connection with the GRAIL acquisition; (xvii) our ability to obtain approval by third-party payors to reimburse patients for our products; (xviii) our ability to obtain regulatory clearance for our products from government agencies; (xix) our ability to successfully partner with other companies and organizations to develop new products, expand markets, and grow our business; (xx) uncertainty, or adverse economic and business conditions, including as a result of slowing or uncertain economic growth or armed conflict; (xxi) the application of generally accepted accounting principles, which are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates, and judgments; and (xxii) legislative, regulatory and economic developments, together with other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, or in information disclosed in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. We undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements, to review or confirm analysts' expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current quarter.

About Illumina
Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Illumina, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In millions)

June 28,
2026

December 28,
2025

ASSETS

(unaudited)

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$       1,040

$       1,418

Short-term investments

128

215

Accounts receivable, net

764

854

Inventory, net

629

564

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

273

238

Total current assets

2,834

3,289

Property and equipment, net

745

759

Operating lease right-of-use assets

362

370

Goodwill

1,284

1,113

Intangible assets, net

410

210

Deferred tax assets, net

439

454

Other assets

576

449

Total assets

$       6,650

$       6,644

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

$          230

$          240

Accrued liabilities

848

846

Term debt, current portion

500

499

Total current liabilities

1,578

1,585

Operating lease liabilities

454

486

Term debt

1,491

1,490

Other long-term liabilities

289

360

Stockholders' equity

2,838

2,723

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

$       6,650

$       6,644

Illumina, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In millions, except per share amounts)

(unaudited)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 28,
2026

June 29,
2025

June 28,
2026

June 29,
2025

Revenue:

Product revenue

$          982

$          912

$      1,899

$      1,793

Service and other revenue

177

147

352

307

Total revenue

1,159

1,059

2,251

2,100

Cost of revenue:

Cost of product revenue

291

276

565

529

Cost of service and other revenue

80

71

160

160

Amortization of acquired intangible assets

18

17

35

33

Total cost of revenue

389

364

760

722

Gross profit

770

695

1,491

1,378

Operating expense:

Research and development

252

247

492

499

Selling, general and administrative

273

234

545

501

Total operating expense

525

481

1,037

1,000

Income from operations

245

214

454

378

Other income (expense), net

15

92

(37)

110

Income before income taxes

260

306

417

488

Provision for income taxes

53

71

77

122

Net income

$          207

$          235

$        340

$         366

Earnings per share:

Basic

$         1.37

$         1.49

$        2.24

$        2.32

Diluted

$         1.35

$         1.49

$        2.22

$        2.31

Shares used in computing earnings per share:

Basic

151

157

152

158

Diluted

153

157

154

158

Illumina, Inc.

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows

(In millions)

(unaudited)

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 28,
2026

June 29,
2025

June 28,
2026

June 29,
2025

Net cash provided by operating activities

$          201

$         234

$        490

$         474

Net cash used in investing activities

(121)

(49)

(488)

(112)

Net cash used in financing activities

(129)

(371)

(380)

(566)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

—

7

—

11

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents

(49)

(179)

(378)

(193)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

1,089

1,113

1,418

1,127

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

$       1,040

$         934

$      1,040

$         934

Calculation of free cash flow:

Net cash provided by operating activities

$          201

$         234

$        490

$         474

Purchases of property and equipment

(39)

(30)

(78)

(62)

Free cash flow (a)

$          162

$         204

$        412

$         412

(a)

Free cash flow, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, is calculated as net cash provided by operating activities reduced by purchases of property and equipment. Free cash flow is useful to management as it is one of the metrics used to evaluate our performance and to compare us with other companies in our industry. However, our calculation of free cash flow may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies.

Illumina, Inc.

Results of Operations - Non-GAAP

(unaudited)

TABLE 1: RECONCILIATION OF REVENUE GROWTH:

Three Months
Ended

Six Months
Ended

June 28,
2026

June 28,
2026

Revenue growth

9.5 %

7.2 %

Impact of acquisitions

(2.1) %

(1.9) %

Impact of currency exchange rates

(0.9) %

(1.4) %

Organic revenue growth (non-GAAP) (a)

6.5 %

3.9 %

Impact of China

1.6 %

1.9 %

ROW organic revenue growth (non-GAAP) (a)

8.1 %

5.8 %

TABLE 2: RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE:

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

June 28,
2026

June 29,
2025

June 28,
2026

June 29,
2025

GAAP diluted earnings per share

$         1.35

$         1.49

$         2.22

$         2.31

Acquisition-related costs (d)

0.07

0.03

0.23

0.11

Transformational initiatives (e)

0.03

0.06

0.06

0.26

Strategic investment (gain) loss, net (f)

(0.15)

(0.65)

0.08

(0.85)

Intangible impairment

—

0.15

—

0.15

Other (g)

—

—

—

0.03

Provision for income taxes (h)

0.01

0.11

(0.13)

0.15

Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (b)

$         1.31

$         1.19

$         2.46

$         2.16

TABLE 3: RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AS A PERCENT OF REVENUE:

Three Months Ended

Six Months Ended

(Dollars in millions)

June 28, 2026

June 29, 2025

June 28, 2026

June 29, 2025

GAAP gross profit (c)

$     770

66.4 %

$     695

65.6 %

$  1,491

66.2 %

$   1,378

65.6 %

Acquisition-related costs (d)

20

1.8 %

16

1.5 %

43

2.0 %

33

1.6 %

Transformational initiatives (e)

—

— %

1

0.1 %

—

— %

3

0.1 %

Intangible impairment

—

— %

23

2.2 %

—

— %

23

1.1 %

Non-GAAP gross profit (b)

$     790

68.2 %

$     735

69.4 %

$  1,534

68.2 %

$   1,437

68.4 %

GAAP operating profit

$     245

21.1 %

$     214

20.2 %

$     454

20.2 %

$     378

18.0 %

Acquisition-related costs (d)

11

1.0 %

5

0.5 %

35

1.6 %

17

0.8 %

Transformational initiatives (e)

4

0.4 %

10

0.9 %

10

0.4 %

41

2.0 %

Intangible impairment

—

— %

23

2.2 %

—

— %

23

1.1 %

Other (g)

—

— %

—

— %

—

— %

5

0.2 %

Non-GAAP operating profit (b)

$     260

22.5 %

$     252

23.8 %

$     499

22.2 %

$     464

22.1 %

(a)

Organic revenue growth adjusts for the impact from acquisitions and currency movements, which is calculated using comparative prior period foreign exchange rates to translate current period revenue, net of the effects of hedges; Rest of World (ROW) organic revenue growth also adjusts for the impact from our China region.

(b)

Non-GAAP gross profit, included within non-GAAP operating profit, is a key measure of the effectiveness and efficiency of manufacturing processes, product mix and the average selling prices of our products and services. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share and non-GAAP operating profit exclude the effects of the pro forma adjustments as detailed above. Non-GAAP operating margin and diluted earnings per share are key components of the financial metrics utilized by the company's board of directors to measure, in part, management's performance and determine significant elements of management's compensation. Management has excluded the effects of these items in these measures to assist investors in analyzing and assessing past and future operating performance.

(c)

Reconciling amounts are recorded in cost of revenue.

•

Amounts for Q2 2026 and YTD 2026 consist primarily of:

•

Amortization of intangible assets of $18 million and $35 million (cost of revenue)

•

Amortization of inventory fair value step-up for SomaLogic of $2 million and $8 million (cost of revenue)

•

Expenses for the SomaLogic and GRAIL acquisitions of $7 million and $22 million (operating expense)

•

Net gains on contingent consideration liabilities of ($16) million and ($32) million (operating expense)

Amounts for Q2 2025 and YTD 2025 consist primarily of:

•

Amortization of intangible assets of $16 million and $33 million (cost of revenue)

•

Expenses for the SomaLogic and GRAIL acquisitions of $9 million and $15 million (operating expense)

•

Net gains on contingent consideration liabilities of ($21) million and ($32) million (operating expense)

(e)

Amounts for Q2 2026 and YTD 2026 consist primarily of implementation costs to upgrade our ERP system.  Amounts for Q2 2025 and YTD 2025 consist primarily of employee severance costs from restructuring activities.

(f)

Amounts consist of realized and unrealized gains and losses and impairments on our investments.

(g)

Amount consists of $3 million for costs related to board membership changes and $2 million for legal accrual.

(h)

Amounts represent the aggregate of the difference between book and tax accounting related to stock-based compensation cost and the tax impact related to non-GAAP adjustments.

Investors:
Conor McNamara
+1.858.291.6421
[email protected]

Media:
Christine Douglass
[email protected]

SOURCE Illumina, Inc.

Sale of Mass Cytometry Business to Multiplex Bio Ensures Full Continuity of CyTOF and Hyperion Product Lines, Customer Relationships, Dedicated Team and Continued Investment in Next Generation Multiplex Platforms

Receives Approximately $30 Million in Negotiated Buyout Related to Contingent Consideration Obligations From Illumina’s Acquisition of SomaLogic Business

BOSTON, Mass., July 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Standard BioTools Inc. (NASDAQ: LAB) ("Standard BioTools" or the "Company") today announced the following updates in connection with the Company’s previously announced merger with Treeline Biosciences, Inc. (“Treeline”):

Agreement to sell its Mass Cytometry business to Multiplex Bio, an entity founded and led by advanced imaging industry veterans, Michael Johnson, PhD, Tom Villani, PhD and Charles Coffman;Buyout of the 2026 earnout and all future royalty payments for $30 million related to Illumina, Inc.’s previously completed acquisition of Standard BioTools’ SomaLogic business; andEarly termination of the waiting period by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 with respect to the Treeline merger. Sale of Mass Cytometry Business to Multiplex Bio

Multiplex Bio will be focused on the ongoing commercialization of Standard BioTools’ CyTOF and Hyperion product lines and investment in next generation multiplex platforms to advance scientific research. Multiplex Bio intends to maintain the full continuity of the business including all customer relationships, the majority of the Company’s Mass Cytometry team, existing service and maintenance commitments. The business will continue to operate under the Standard BioTools name and brand. Dr. Johnson will serve as Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Villani will serve as Chief Technology Officer and Mr. Coffman will serve as Chief Operating Officer of Multiplex Bio.

Dr. Johnson and Dr. Villani co-founded Visikol, where they pioneered the commercialization of spatial biology tools including 3D microscopy, multiplex tissue imaging and digital pathology services for the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, building Visikol into a recognized leader in advanced tissue imaging before its acquisition by BICO in 2021. Mr. Coffman’s operational and financial background spans building and scaling life science businesses through periods of transition and growth.

Michael Egholm, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Standard BioTools, said, “Our Mass Cytometry technology, including the CyTOF and Hyperion instruments, provide unmatched multi-plexing capabilities for biomedical researchers studying a wide range of diseases. After a comprehensive evaluation of opportunities for this business, we are confident that Michael, Tom and Charles are uniquely positioned to steward our products and team given their scientific depth, commercial, operational experience and passion for the technology. Our products will continue to make a meaningful difference in single cell research and in the evolution of spatial biology.”

"The Standard BioTools Mass Cytometry business has an extraordinary scientific legacy and we are honored to carry it forward," said Dr. Johnson. "CyTOF and Hyperion have been foundational to the field of multiplex proteomic detection, and our goal is to build on that foundation and dedicate ourselves fully to advancing these platforms and supporting the scientists who depend on them every day. Our team has operated this technology firsthand and we understand deeply what it means to the customers and researchers who rely on it. We are genuinely excited by what lies ahead for this business and the broader field of multiplex proteomic imaging and detection where we strongly believe Standard BioTools’s products and team are positioned to lead the entire field."

The transaction is valued at up to $10 million, comprising a seller’s note issued by Multiplex Bio to Standard BioTools and a potential milestone payment. Standard BioTools has agreed to provide Multiplex Bio with a working capital loan of up to $10 million at the closing of the transaction.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, substantially concurrently with the closing of the Treeline transaction, subject to approval by Standard BioTools’ stockholders and other customary closing conditions.

Illumina Earnout and Royalty Buyout Payment

Standard BioTools received approximately $30 million as a buyout of the 2026 earnout and all accrued and unpaid royalty payments related to Illumina, Inc.’s previously completed acquisition of Standard BioTools’ SomaLogic business. This payment will now be included in Standard BioTools’ pro forma net cash position at closing of the Treeline transaction, which will be used in determining the value of Standard BioTools in the exchange ratio in the Treeline transaction, in each case subject to the terms of the merger agreement with Treeline.

Pending Transaction with Treeline

On July 20, 2026, Standard BioTools filed its registration statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. On July 21, 2026, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission provided early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

The Company expects the Treeline transaction to close by the end of 2026, subject to approval by Standard BioTools stockholders and other customary closing conditions.

About Standard BioTools Inc.

Standard BioTools, Inc. (NASDAQ: LAB), is committed to setting the new standard in the life science tools industry through strategic consolidation, best-in-class operations and a world class management team. The Company's established portfolio includes essential, standardized next-generation solutions designed to help biomedical researchers develop better therapeutics faster. Learn more at standardbio.com or connect with us on X, Facebook®, LinkedIn, and YouTube™.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

Limited Use Label License and other terms may apply: standardbio.com/legal/terms-and-conditions/. Patent and License Information: standardbio.com/legal/notices.

Trademarks: standardbio.com/legal/trademarks. Any other trademarks are the sole property of their respective owners. ©2026 Standard BioTools Inc.. All rights reserved.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, among others, statements regarding the disposition of the Mass Cytometry business; the expected timing of the disposition of the Mass Cytometry business; the Treeline transaction; the expected timing of the closing of the Treeline transaction; the potential benefits of the Treeline transaction; the prospective performance and outlook of the combined company’s business, performance and opportunities; as well as any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. The words “advance,” “build,” “lead,” “may,” “will,” “continue,” “commitment,” “expect,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: (i) the risk that the sale of the Mass Cytometry business may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; (ii) the ability to obtain the requisite approval for the sale of the Mass Cytometry business from stockholders of Standard BioTools; (iii) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the sale of the Mass Cytometry business may not be satisfied or waived; (iv) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the agreement relating to the sale of the Mass Cytometry business; (v) the risk that the Treeline transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; (vi) the ability to obtain the requisite approval for the sale of the Treeline transaction from stockholders of Standard BioTools; (vii) the possibility that competing offers or acquisition proposals will be made with respect to the Treeline business; (viii) the possibility that any or all of the various conditions to the consummation of the Treeline transaction may not be satisfied or waived; (ix) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Treeline transaction, including in circumstances that would require Standard BioTools to pay a termination fee or other expenses; (x) the effect of the pendency of the Treeline transaction on the parties’ ability to retain and hire key personnel, their ability to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers and others with whom they do business, their business generally or their stock price; (xi) risks related to diverting management’s attention from ongoing business operations or the loss of one or more members of the management team; (xii) the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with either the sale of the Mass Cytometry business or the Treeline transaction may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; (xiii) the parties’ ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Treeline transaction; (xiv) the risk that the parties may assume unexpected liabilities and expenses as a result of the Treeline transaction; (xv) the risk that the potential disposition of Standard BioTools’ Microfluidics business may not be completed on favorable terms or at all; (xvi) the risk that Standard BioTools could fail to maintain the listing of its common stock on Nasdaq; (xvii) uncertainties as to the potential for development, commercialization and other benefits of any of Treeline’s product candidates; and (xviii) uncertainties as to Treeline’s anticipated preclinical and clinical drug development activities and related timelines, including the expected timing for commencing clinical trials and announcing data and other clinical results.

For information regarding other related risks, see the “Risk Factors” section of Standard BioTools’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the SEC on March 16, 2026, Standard BioTools’ most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Standard BioTools’ other filings with the SEC. Should any of these risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could differ materially from expectations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Standard BioTools does not assume any obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements except as may be required by law.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of Standard BioTools’ sale of its Mass Cytometry business and/or in respect of the Treeline transaction. In connection with the Treeline transaction and related stockholder vote, Standard BioTools has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement on Form S-4 on July 20, 2026 that included a preliminary proxy statement and a preliminary prospectus of Standard BioTools, and that may be amended or supplemented from time to time. In connection with the disposition of the Mass Cytometry business and related stockholder vote, Standard BioTools will file a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC. This communication is not a substitute for the preliminary proxy statement, preliminary prospectus or any other document that Standard BioTools may file with the SEC or send to its stockholders in connection with the proposed transactions. No offering of securities shall be made, except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Any definitive proxy statement/prospectus (if and when available) will be mailed to stockholders of Standard BioTools.

INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS OF STANDARD BIOTOOLS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING ALL AMENDMENTS, SUPPLEMENTS AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN) AND OTHER RELEVANT MATERIALS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT STANDARD BIOTOOLS, TREELINE AND THE PROPOSED TRANSACTIONS. Copies of the materials filed or to be filed by Standard BioTools with the SEC may be obtained free of charge on Standard BioTools’ Investor Relations website at https://investors.standardbio.com or by contacting Standard BioTools’ Investor Relations department at [email protected]. In addition, all of those materials will be available at no charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Participants in the Solicitation

Standard BioTools, Treeline and certain of their respective directors, executive officers, other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Standard BioTools stockholders in connection with the proposed transactions under SEC rules. Investors and stockholders may obtain more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of Standard BioTools’ executive officers and directors who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation by reading Standard BioTools’ proxy statement for its 2026 annual meeting of stockholders (including under the headings “Management and Corporate Governance,” “Executive Officer and Director Compensation,” “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters,” “Executive Compensation” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence”), its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Standard BioTools’ other filings with the SEC. Information regarding Treeline’s directors and executive officers who may be deemed participants in the solicitation is contained in the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Standard BioTools. These documents are or will be available free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by going to Standard BioTools’ Investor Relations website at http://investors.standardbio.com or contacting Standard BioTools’ Investor Relations department at [email protected].

Contacts

Posted by Defense World Staff on Jul 21st, 2026

Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. trimmed its position in Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN – Free Report) by 18.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 721,532 shares of the life sciences company’s stock after selling 165,333 shares during the period. Illumina comprises 1.3% of Amova Asset Management Americas Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Amova Asset Management Americas Inc. owned about 0.48% of Illumina worth $88,864,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in Illumina in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Illumina by 160.0% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 195 shares of the life sciences company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Illumina during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Illumina in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Illumina by 671.9% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 247 shares of the life sciences company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.42% of the company’s stock.

Illumina Stock Down 1.1% NASDAQ ILMN opened at $184.68 on Tuesday. Illumina, Inc. has a 12 month low of $88.00 and a 12 month high of $196.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market cap of $27.94 billion, a PE ratio of 33.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 1.47. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $167.28 and its 200 day moving average is $143.77.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.10. Illumina had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 31.01%. The business had revenue of $1.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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. Research analysts predict that Illumina, Inc. will post 5.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Illumina In other Illumina news, CAO Scott D. Ericksen sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total value of $80,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 14,446 shares in the company, valued at $2,311,360. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Patricia Leckman sold 783 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $162.59, for a total transaction of $127,307.97. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 21,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,456,500.81. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 valued at $155,710,908. 2.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages recently commented on ILMN. Wall Street Zen cut Illumina from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Citigroup upped their price target on Illumina from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays raised their price objective on Illumina from $122.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Illumina from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Illumina in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Illumina has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.88.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Illumina

Illumina Company Profile (Free Report)

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.

Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Illumina The Ugliest Stocks in the Market Just Got a Very Expensive Vote of Confidence Is Domino’s Stock Serving Up a Buying Opportunity? A $1T Black Hole: SpaceX Eyes Pentagon AI to Break Free Why Gold Miners Could Be the Market’s Biggest Comeback Story Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ILMN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN – Free Report).

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Taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for new and old investors, and Zacks Premium offers many different ways to do both.

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What are the Zacks Style Scores? The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is assigned a rating of A, B, C, D, or F based on their value, growth, and momentum characteristics. Just like in school, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on -- that means the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value ScoreFinding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth ScoreWhile good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum ScoreMomentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.

VGM ScoreWhat if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +23.94% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

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That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only has a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.

Here's an example: a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one with Style Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings outlook, and a bigger chance its share price will decrease too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) San Diego, CA.-based Illumina Inc. provides sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. The products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture and other emerging segments. Its customers include leading genomic research centers, academic institutions, government laboratories, hospitals as well as pharmaceutical, biotechnology, commercial molecular diagnostic and consumer genomics companies.

ILMN is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. ILMN has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 7.2% for the current fiscal year.

Two analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2026, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.02 to $5.19 per share. ILMN also boasts an average earnings surprise of +12.2%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, ILMN should be on investors' short list.

Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.

While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.

Below, we take a look at Illumina (ILMN - Free Report) , which currently has a Momentum Style Score of B. We also discuss some of the main drivers of the Momentum Style Score, like price change and earnings estimate revisions.

It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Illumina currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.

You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>

Set to Beat the Market?Let's discuss some of the components of the Momentum Style Score for ILMN that show why this genetic testing tools company shows promise as a solid momentum pick.

A good momentum benchmark for a stock is to look at its short-term price activity, as this can reflect both current interest and if buyers or sellers currently have the upper hand. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.

For ILMN, shares are up 6.87% over the past week while the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is up 2.25% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 15.6% compares favorably with the industry's 10% performance as well.

While any stock can see a spike in price, it takes a real winner to consistently outperform the market. Over the past quarter, shares of Illumina have risen 42%, and are up 92.74% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 10.61% and 21.48%, respectively.

Investors should also take note of ILMN's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now ILMN is averaging 1,920,957 shares for the last 20 days..

Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score encompasses many things, including estimate revisions and a stock's price movement. Investors should note that earnings estimates are also significant to the Zacks Rank, and a nice path here can be promising. We have recently been noticing this with ILMN.

Over the past two months, 2 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost ILMN's consensus estimate, increasing from $5.17 to $5.19 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 2 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.

Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that ILMN is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Illumina on your short list.