Seeking Alpha: Pacific Biosciences Still Trying To Claw Out Its Own Niche

When it comes to sequencing, it's still pretty much Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) and then everybody else. Illumina has earned this place of prominence through consistent R&D productivity and opportunistic M&A, and it makes life difficult for would-be challengers to the throne like Pacific Biosciences (NASDAQ:PACB). That said, PacBio has continued to make solid progress, with the shares up more than 100% from when I first wrote on them as a Top Idea and up about 20% from my last update.

The challenge for PacBio remains what it has been for some time - build upon what is currently the best available technology for long DNA sequences and make it faster, cheaper, and easier to use. Wrapped within that, the company needs to continue to develop new systems and new technologies, as well as develop opportunities in areas like plant genomics, clinical diagnostics, and epigenetics where its technology can really stand out.

As a stock, PacBio remains highly speculative. It's partner Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) has continued to pursue its own alternatives in sequencing (while remaining at least outwardly committed to its PacBio partnership) and major rivals like Illumina, Thermo Fisher (NYSE:TMO), Oxford Nanopore, and 10X Genomics continue to work on technologies and systems that could ultimately capture some or all of PacBio's targeted markets. Still, 10% of the sequencing market and success with its Roche partnership could still support close to $1 billion in revenue well down the road and an $8 fair value today.

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Pacific Biosciences Still Trying To Claw Out Its Own Niche