Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) shares climbed 7.1% to $245.18 as of September 18, 2026, a significant gain from the prior close of $228.93. BestStocks flagged the session as a major change for ILMN. Below, we break down what changed for ILMN, why it matters for investors, how the stock reacted, and the catalysts on the calendar.
What happened
ILMN climbed 7.1% to $245.18
ILMN climbed 7.1% in its latest session, moving from $228.93 to $245.18.
ValuationMedium confidence
Rel. volume
1.9×
Above Avg
Vs peers
—
No comparable peers
Market cap
$37.1B
NASDAQ Global Select
Analyst target
$211
-14.1% vs price
Price chart
Aug 18 – Sep 17
E earnings
F filing
A analyst
V/N other
click a marker to highlight
Change events — click to jump to details
What it means for Illumina, Inc. investors
For Illumina, Inc. investors, the balance of recent signals points to a bullish shift. On the constructive side: Material positive event; Strong 7.1% price move with conviction. Weighing against that: Illumina reported earnings today and filed a material event (8-K), triggering a 4.75% intraday decline to $195.35; New SEC filing — review for material disclosures. Wall Street's consensus price target sits at $210.67, implying -14.1% downside from $245.18. Over the past 90 days analysts logged 1 upgrade and 0 downgrades. BestStocks rates the overall signal quality medium (66/100). With earnings roughly 41 days out, the next report is the most likely near-term test of the move.
ILMN price reaction
ILMN last traded at $245.18, up $16.25 (+7.10%) from the previous close of $228.93. The session traded on 1.9× average volume (above avg), so the move carried above-average conviction. Over the past month the stock has ranged between $188.29 and $245.18, and it currently sits about 100% of the way up that band.
Bullish and bearish analyst opinions on Illumina, Inc. (ILMN)
The consensus analyst price target on Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) is $210.67, 14.1% below the recent $245.18. Over the past 90 days analysts logged 1 upgrade, 16 maintains, and 0 downgrades. Here is how the bullish and bearish cases on ILMN line up.
▲ The bullish case
+The Street's most bullish target is $260.00 (+6.0%).
+1 analyst upgrade in the past 90 days, most recently UBS to Buy (2026-09-09).
+Material positive event.
+Strong 7.1% price move with conviction.
+Illumina rallied 3.28% to $229.59, driven by a newly announced five-year collaboration with Novacyt expanding its sequencing platform into clinical diagnostics, combined with institutional positioning ahead of its S&P 500 index inclusion on September 21 (per web synthesis corroborated by Yahoo Finance reporting).
▼ The bearish case
−The consensus analyst price target of $210.67 sits 14.1% below the recent $245.18, so the average target sees limited room to run.
−The most bearish analyst target is $155.00 (-36.8%).
−Illumina reported earnings today and filed a material event (8-K), triggering a 4.75% intraday decline to $195.35.
Bull vs bear balanceBullish Shift
BearishNeutralBullish
Weighing both sides, BestStocks' composite read of recent signals is bullish, as the bull-versus-bear meter above shows. This is an educational summary of the bull and bear case, not investment advice.
Analyst price targets and ratings are FMP consensus figures as of Sep 17, 2026; other aggregators may differ. High and low targets show the range of estimates, not forecasts.
Illumina rallied 3.28% to $229.59, driven by a newly announced five-year collaboration with Novacyt expanding its sequencing platform into clinical diagnostics, combined with institutional positioning ahead of its S&P 500 index inclusion on September 21 (per web synthesis corroborated by Yahoo Finance reporting). Volume of 1.8M shares ran 1.35x normal for this point in the session.
Material / Earnings2026-09-15+6.8%
Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) moved +6.38% from $208.95 to $222.29 on 2026-09-15. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. Volume was 1.7x the 5-day average, modestly elevated.
Material / Earnings2026-09-09-2.9%
Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) moved −3.13% from $211.63 to $205.00 on September 9, 2026. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. Volume remained near its 5-day average, suggesting the move was not driven by unusual trading activity.
Material / Earnings2026-09-08-3.3%
Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) moved -3.47% from $218.65 to $211.06 on 2026-09-08. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. Volume remained near its 5-day average, indicating routine trading.
Material / Earnings2026-09-03+3.9%
Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) moved +3.39% from $214.40 to $221.66 on September 3, 2026. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The move occurred on volume near the 5-day average.
Material / Earnings2026-08-28-5.3%
Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) moved -4.18% from $225.00 to $215.59 on 2026-08-28. We checked news, earnings announcements, analyst updates, SEC filings, and corporate actions — no company-specific catalyst was found. The decline occurred on volume near its 5-day average, suggesting a technical pullback rather than a catalyzed sell-off.
Illumina shares rose 2.67% to $230.84, continuing a multi-month rally fueled by strong Q2 results and raised guidance. Late-July earnings showed revenue of $1.16 billion beating consensus, prompting management to raise full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $4.60–$4.64 billion and lift non-GAAP EPS outlook; NovaSeq X adoption and core consumable growth have bolstered investor confidence. Volume of 936,673 shares at 240 minutes into session ran at 0.73x the historical average, normal for this time of day.
Illumina shares rose 3.29% to $220.25, driven by strong follow-through from recent Q2 earnings that beat expectations and prompted management to raise full-year revenue and EPS guidance, combined with growing investor optimism around its AI-driven drug discovery partnerships including the Billion Cell Atlas initiative and a broader healthcare sector rally. Volume at 1.01M shares (0.74x expected for this time of session) reflects normal intraday trading pace.
In-depth ILMN event analyses
Permanent, dated analyses of ILMN's most significant sessions.
ILMN climbed 7.1% to $245.18. No single company-specific catalyst was confirmed during the move window, and it looks technical.
How much did ILMN stock rise?
ILMN gained 7.10% ($16.25) versus the prior close of $228.93, last trading at $245.18 on 1.9× average volume.
When is Illumina, Inc.'s next earnings date?
ILMN's next earnings report is estimated for 2026-10-29 — about 41 days away.
What is the analyst price target for ILMN?
The consensus analyst price target for ILMN is $210.67, about 14.1% below the current $245.18. Over the past 90 days, analysts recorded 1 upgrade, 16 maintains, and 0 downgrades.
How BestStocks tracks ILMN
This page is generated automatically by BestStocks' change-detection system after its price and volume cleared ILMN-specific materiality thresholds, triggering an evidence check. It draws on 20 tracked change events for ILMN, cross-checked against the data sources listed below. Price, volume, and market-capitalization figures are the live intraday quote as of September 18, 2026 and refresh as new information is detected; for companies with multiple share classes, market-cap figures can differ by data source. Analyst price targets and ratings are FMP consensus. This is an educational summary of what changed and why — not personalized investment advice.
