Insider Selling: Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ:PACB) Insider Sells $205,068.20 in Stock

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (NASDAQ:PACB) insider Oene Mark Van sold 129,790 shares of Pacific Biosciences of California stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.58, for a total transaction of $205,068.20. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,797,745 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,840,437.10. The trade was a 6.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Oene Mark Van also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 18th, Oene Mark Van sold 55,107 shares of Pacific Biosciences of California stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.63, for a total transaction of $89,824.41.

Pacific Biosciences of California Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PACB opened at $1.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.88, a quick ratio of 5.40 and a current ratio of 6.24. The company has a market cap of $486.07 million, a P/E ratio of -0.87 and a beta of 2.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $2.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.78. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. has a 52-week low of $0.85 and a 52-week high of $2.73.

Pacific Biosciences of California (NASDAQ:PACB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.12) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.19) by $0.07. The business had revenue of $44.65 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.60 million. Pacific Biosciences of California had a negative net margin of 341.47% and a negative return on equity of 251.75%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. will post -0.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

PACB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on Pacific Biosciences of California from $1.50 to $2.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California from $1.50 to $2.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Stephens lifted their price objective on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California from $1.80 to $2.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Pacific Biosciences of California in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Pacific Biosciences of California from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $2.20.

Key Pacific Biosciences of California News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pacific Biosciences of California this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Genomics sector tailwind — Zacks published a roundup arguing genomics and synthetic-biology stocks deserve portfolio consideration in 2026, supporting longer‑term demand for sequencing platforms like PacBio’s systems. Genomics Stocks That Deserve a Place in Your Portfolio in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional accumulation — Large funds (ARK, Millennium, Renaissance, Casdin) materially increased or initiated PACB positions in recent quarters, which can provide liquidity support and signal conviction from some professional investors. MarketBeat PACB institutional holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming investor event — PacBio will present at the TD Cowen Health Care Conference on March 2; management commentary there could provide updated commercialization or adoption metrics but nothing material has been released yet. PacBio at TD Cowen Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst mix — Recent notes show modest price‑target upgrades to ~$2.00 from some shops while consensus remains “Hold” with an average PT ~ $2.20; mixed coverage limits a catalytic analyst push. PACB analyst coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling — Director/insider Christian O. Henry sold ~472,667 shares across Feb. 17–18 (~$753k proceeds). High‑profile insider sales at this scale often pressure the stock. Christian O. Henry Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider exits — Oene Mark Van sold ~184,897 shares (Feb. 17–18) and Michele Farmer sold ~50,167 shares (Feb. 17–18); the combined insider reductions may amplify negative sentiment short‑term. Oene Mark Van Form 4 Michele Farmer Form 4

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pacific Biosciences of California

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Pacific Biosciences of California by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 37,264,228 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $69,684,000 after purchasing an additional 6,340,125 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pacific Biosciences of California by 2.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,379,972 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $20,966,000 after buying an additional 362,797 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pacific Biosciences of California by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,078,744 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $13,241,000 after acquiring an additional 172,089 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pacific Biosciences of California by 500.9% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,916,795 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,293,000 after acquiring an additional 4,098,555 shares during the period. Finally, Casdin Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Pacific Biosciences of California by 483.6% during the 4th quarter. Casdin Capital LLC now owns 4,223,767 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $7,898,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500,000 shares during the period.

Pacific Biosciences of California Company Profile

Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc develops, manufactures and sells high-performance DNA sequencing systems for genetic and genomic analysis. The company’s proprietary single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology is designed to enable long-read sequencing, offering high accuracy for applications such as de novo genome assembly, transcriptome characterization and structural variation analysis. Pacific Biosciences markets a suite of instruments, including the Sequel and Sequel IIe systems, alongside reagents, consumables and data analysis software to support a range of life science research.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, Pacific Biosciences has expanded its global reach by serving academic institutions, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, and government research centers across North America, Europe and Asia.