Illumina Shares Got Crushed: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of Illumina (NAS: ILMN) plummeted a staggering 30% today after the genetic analysis instrument maker projected current-quarter revenue well below expectations and suspended its full-year guidance.

So what: The whiff was so bad -- Illumina now sees third-quarter revenue of $235 million versus the average analyst estimate of $278 million -- that investors are being forced to seriously rework their growth assumptions. In fact, CEO Jay Flatley called the slump in new purchases "unprecedented," blaming it on slower upgrades, research-funding uncertainty, and simply a big drop in demand for its products.

Now what: Don't expect things to turnaround anytime soon. "We expect these conditions to continue through at least the fourth quarter, while the 2012-2013 U.S. budgets for National Institutes of Health and other related agencies are determined," Flatley said. Of course, with rivals like Affymetrix (NAS: AFFX) and Life Technologies (NAS: LIFE) also getting pounded on the news, the entire space might be providing long-term investors with an enticing entry point.

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At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Brian Pacampara owns no position in any of the companies mentioned. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Illumina. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Fool's disclosure policy always gets a perfect score.

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