PacBio Stock Up on HiFi Sequencing Adoption for Major SUDC Research

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. PACB, popularly known as PacBio, recently announced that its HiFi whole-genome sequencing technology has been adopted as a first-line approach in a major research effort to study Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC).

From an investor perspective, the development highlights PacBio’s expanding footprint in high-value clinical research applications. By positioning HiFi sequencing as the starting point for challenging diagnostic cases, the initiative reinforces the technology’s differentiation, supports broader adoption in human genomics, and strengthens PacBio’s long-term growth narrative tied to clinical and translational research.

Likely Trend of PACB Stock Following the News

Following the announcement, the company's shares gained 10.8% in yesterday’s trading session. PacBio also reported preliminary revenue for the fourth quarter of 2025 and full year 2025 of $44.6 million and $160 million, representing year-over-year growth of 14% and 4%, respectively. In the last six-month period, shares have gained 63.9% compared with the industry’s 11.4% growth. The S&P 500 has risen 14.8% over the same period.

In the long run, this development can benefit PACB by strengthening clinical validation and accelerating the adoption of its HiFi sequencing as a first-line standard in complex genetic cases. As more research groups and clinicians see improved diagnostic yield from long-read sequencing, demand for PacBio’s Revio systems, consumables, and service contracts could steadily rise, creating a recurring revenue stream.

PACB currently has a market capitalization of $643.1 million.

More on the News

The research, led by UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s and supported by the SUDC Foundation, plans to sequence trios from 200 families using PacBio’s Revio sequencing system with SPRQ-Nx chemistry. Each case will include sequencing of the affected child, along with both parents, enabling comprehensive detection of genetic variation through highly accurate long-read data.

PacBio’s SPRQ-Nx chemistry is designed to enhance the performance of its HiFi sequencing workflow by delivering higher throughput, improved data quality and more efficient use of sequencing capacity on systems such as Revio. The chemistry supports highly accurate long reads while enabling faster run times and lower cost per genome, making large-scale whole-genome sequencing studies more practical.

The project is designed to simplify laboratory workflows, particularly when working with challenging sample types such as post-mortem tissues and newborn dried blood spots. By using HiFi sequencing as a first-tier assay, researchers aim to improve diagnostic yield through better resolution of complex genetic features, including structural variants and tandem repeats, while also enabling accurate phasing and identification of de novo versus inherited variants.Top of Form

Favorable Industry Prospect for PACB

Per a report by Grand View Research, the global long-read sequencing market size was estimated at $538.9 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $1.53 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 20.12% from 2025 to 2030.

The major factors driving market growth include the increasing prevalence of genetic diseases like cancers and chromosomal disorders.

A Recent Development by PACB

Recently, PACB announced a new community-developed method, CiFi. It enables chromosome-scale, haplotype-resolved genome assemblies from a single sequencing run, even when sample material is limited.

CiFi addresses long-standing limitations of short-read Hi-C by generating long, highly accurate reads that capture multiple chromatin interactions within a single molecule. The new method is expected to offer numerous advantages tailored to the requirements of genome biology, biodiversity studies and functional genomics.Bottom of Form

PACB’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Currently, PACB carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are IDEXX Laboratories IDXX, Boston Scientific BSX and STERIS STE. Each stock presently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Estimates for IDEXX’s 2025 earnings per share (EPS) have remained constant at $12.93 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have risen 12.6% in the past year compared with the industry’s 11.1% growth. IDXX’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 7.1%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 8.3%.  

Boston Scientific shares have gained 2.9% in the past year. Estimates for the company’s 2025 EPS have remained constant at $3.04 in the past 30 days. BSX’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 7.4%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 5.6%.

STERIS shares have risen 9.1% in the past year. Estimates for the company’s 2025 EPS have increased by 2 cents to $10.23 in the past 30 days. STE’s earnings topped estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and matched on one occasion, delivering an average surprise of 2.6%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 2.6%.

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