CTKB vs ILMN vs TECH Stock Comparison

Cytek Biosciences, Illumina and Bio-Techne Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CTKB Cytek Biosciences, Inc.
$5.98 +5.8% 1M +44.1% 1Y
Market cap
$777.30M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$206.71M
Div. yield
–
Life Sciences Tools Healthcare
1 win
ILMN Illumina, Inc.
$279.47 +3.5% 1M +178.5% 1Y
Market cap
$42.20B
P/E
51.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.49B
Div. yield
–
Life Sciences Tools Healthcare
6 wins
TECH BIO-TECHNE Corp
$72.60 0.0% 1M +13.0% 1Y
Market cap
$11.33B
P/E
62.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.22B
Div. yield
0.44%
Life Sciences Tools Healthcare
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Illumina leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Illumina 6, Bio-Techne 4, Cytek Biosciences 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCTKBILMNTECHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $777.30M $42.20B $11.33B ILMN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -9.6x 51.2x 62.3x ILMN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS — 56.0x 33.6x TECH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.4% +4.9% -0.4% CTKB
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -39.0% 18.4% 15.0% ILMN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 15.1% 8.3% ILMN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.7x -0.2x TECH
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — — 0.44% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +44.1% +178.5% +13.0% ILMN
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -23.4%/yr -7.0%/yr -10.8%/yr ILMN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 55.8% 50.4% 43.5% TECH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 41/100 66/100 66/100 TECH

Percentile Scorecard

CTKBILMNTECH

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCTKBILMNTECH
Valuation 54 #104 of 227 51 #111 of 227 58 #96 of 227
Growth 3 #212 of 219 45 #120 of 219 40 #131 of 219
Profitability 45 #114 of 206 97 #8 of 206 94 #14 of 206
Financial Health 53 #112 of 238 51 #117 of 238 86 #34 of 238
Shareholder Returns 47 #71 of 134 84 #23 of 134 51 #66 of 134
Overall 41 66 66
  • CTKB ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ILMN ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • TECH ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCTKBILMNTECHSPY
1 month +5.8%+3.5%0.0% -0.2%
3 months +34.1%+44.8%+0.7% +3.9%
6 months +30.9%+120.2%+35.7% +8.2%
Year to date +18.4%+113.1%+23.4% +12.9%
1 year +44.1%+178.5%+13.0% +12.3%
3 years +38.1%+163.0%+21.9% +87.4%
3 years, per year +11.4%+38.1%+6.8% +23.3%
5 years -73.7%-30.5%-43.6% +67.9%
5 years, per year -23.4%-7.0%-10.8% +10.9%
10 years —+106.3%+187.0% +261.1%
10 years, per year —+7.5%+11.1% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCTKBILMNTECHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 55.8%50.4%43.5% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 55.0%39.1%43.4% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.870.820.77 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.793.540.30 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -90.3%-82.9%-67.0% -25.4%
From 52-week high -1.8%-4.8%-0.1% -1.2%
52-week high $6.09$293.69$72.69 $779.14
52-week low $3.36$95.03$43.30 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCTKBILMNTECH
P/E now vs peer median -9.6xmedian 29.6x 51.2xmedian 29.6x 62.3xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 3.8xmedian 2.9x 9.4xmedian 2.9x 9.3xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median -19.0xmedian 17.4x 37.3xmedian 17.4x 32.3xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median -64.3xmedian 22.3x 45.3xmedian 22.3x 43.1xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 2.3x 14.9xmedian 2.3x 5.4xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median 0.07median 1.04 1.70median 1.04 -4.77median 1.04

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCTKBILMNTECH
Revenue $206.71M $4.49B $1.22B
Gross profit $110.03M $2.98B $799.07M
Operating income -$44.65M $882.00M $251.89M
Net income -$80.58M $825.00M $181.86M
Free cash flow -$12.08M $931.00M $263.22M
R&D $37.26M $960.00M $94.77M
EPS (diluted) $-0.62 $5.39 $1.16
Cash & equivalents $73.85M $1.04B $264.71M
Total debt – $1.99B $200.00M
Shares (diluted) 129.46M 153.00M 157.01M
Enterprise value $453.57M $36.97B $10.54B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCTKBILMNTECH
P/E -9.6x 51.2x 62.3x
P/FCF -64.3x 45.3x 43.1x
P/Operating cash flow -128.7x 38.5x 38.8x
P/S 3.8x 9.4x 9.3x
P/B 2.4x 14.9x 5.4x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 17.4x 6.3x
EV/EBITDA -19.0x 37.3x 32.3x
EV/EBIT -15.8x 48.8x 44.7x
EV/Revenue 3.4x 9.6x 9.3x
EV/FCF -58.2x 46.2x 42.8x
EV/Operating cash flow -116.5x 39.3x 38.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.07 1.70 -4.77

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCTKBILMNTECH
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.4% 4.9% -0.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.6% -1.0% 2.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 3.1% 4.6% 1.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 1.4% 2.9% 1.3%
Operating income growth (1Y) -66.2% -31.8% 146.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -31.0% 28.3% -5.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -1,159% -34.4% 147.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -139.7% 30.0% -14.0%
EPS growth (1Y) -1,134% -32.7% 152.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -141.6% 30.1% -13.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -139.7% -5.1% 1.6%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -66.7% 38.1% 4.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -211.1% -9.7% 2.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -3.9% 105.0% 6.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCTKBILMNTECH
Gross margin 53.2% 66.4% 65.8%
EBITDA margin -17.9% 25.7% 28.7%
Operating margin -21.6% 19.6% 20.7%
Pretax margin -19.7% 22.6% 19.8%
Net margin -39.0% 18.4% 15.0%
FCF margin -5.8% 20.7% 21.7%
Operating cash flow margin -2.9% 24.4% 24.0%
Return on equity -24.8% 29.9% 8.7%
Return on assets -18.0% 12.5% 7.1%
Return on invested capital – 15.1% 8.3%
Return on capital employed -12.3% 17.5% 10.5%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.7x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.1x 1.3x 1.6x
Stock comp / revenue 10.3% 5.9% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCTKBILMNTECH
Debt / assets – 29.9% 7.7%
Debt / equity – 0.7x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.7x -0.2x
Debt / FCF – 2.1x 0.8x
Liabilities / assets 28.0% 57.3% 18.5%
Equity / assets 72.0% 42.7% 81.5%
Interest coverage -143.1x 8.9x 26.2x
Current ratio 4.5x 1.8x 4.5x
Quick ratio 1.5x 1.2x 2.9x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.7x 1.6x
Altman Z-score 4.24 7.97 15.89

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCTKBILMNTECH
Dividend yield – – 0.4%
Net buyback yield -0.2% 1.2% -0.3%
Shareholder yield -0.2% 1.2% 0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 27.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 19.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – -0.9%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – -0.2%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCTKBILMNTECH
Forward P/E – 56.0xFY2026 33.6xFY2027
EPS, next fiscal year $-0.32FY2026 $4.99FY2026 $2.16FY2027
EPS growth, next FY – +3.1%FY2026 +11.9%FY2027
EPS growth, the year after – +25.7% +5.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $197.36MFY2026 $4.52BFY2026 $1.19BFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY -2.1%FY2026 +4.1%FY2026 -2.1%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +9.9% +12.0% +13.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCTKBILMNTECH
Held by institutions 62.8% 100.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 156 933 597
Change in shares held, QoQ -4.1% +0.0% -0.6%
Institutions buying 75 463 293
Institutions selling 64 330 241
Buyers to sellers 1.17 1.40 1.22

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CTKBILMNTECH
CTKB 1.00 0.33 0.27
ILMN 0.33 1.00 0.22
TECH 0.27 0.22 1.00

Add a Peer

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CTKB, ILMN and TECH?

Illumina (ILMN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) $777.30M, Illumina (ILMN) $42.20B, Bio-Techne (TECH) $11.33B.

Which stock is cheaper, CTKB, ILMN and TECH?

Illumina (ILMN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) -9.6x, Illumina (ILMN) 51.2x, Bio-Techne (TECH) 62.3x). On next year's consensus earnings, Bio-Techne (TECH) is cheapest (Illumina (ILMN) 56.0x, Bio-Techne (TECH) 33.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) +5.4%, Illumina (ILMN) +4.9%, Bio-Techne (TECH) -0.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

Illumina (ILMN) has the highest net margin (Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) -39.0%, Illumina (ILMN) 18.4%, Bio-Techne (TECH) 15.0%). On return on invested capital, Illumina (ILMN) leads (Illumina (ILMN) 15.1%, Bio-Techne (TECH) 8.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Illumina (ILMN) returned the most: Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) +44.1%, Illumina (ILMN) +178.5%, Bio-Techne (TECH) +13.0%. Over five years, Illumina (ILMN) compounded fastest (Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) -23.4%/yr, Illumina (ILMN) -7.0%/yr, Bio-Techne (TECH) -10.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Bio-Techne (TECH) 0.44%. Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) and Illumina (ILMN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Bio-Techne (TECH) has been the steadiest (Cytek Biosciences (CTKB) 55.8%, Illumina (ILMN) 50.4%, Bio-Techne (TECH) 43.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CTKB, ILMN and TECH?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Illumina (ILMN) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.