Top 3 Picks
2026 Outlook
For 2026, the sector outlook centers on mid-single-digit revenue growth fueled by proteomics, genomics expansion, and regulatory-driven testing needs, though margin pressure from pricing competition and slower academic budgets could persist. Automation and AI integration in instruments are expected to lift recurring revenue streams for established players.
Complete Rankings
| Rank | Stock | Score | Price | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Bruker Corporation
|
57.9 | $58.50 | $5.3B |
|
2
|
Waters Corp
|
55.8 | $409.38 | $19.0B |
|
3
|
Mettler-Toledo International
|
54.1 | $1345.26 | $26.6B |
|
4
|
Illumina Inc
|
51.4 | $218.22 | $15.7B |
|
5
|
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Common Stock
|
50.6 | $4.58 | $890M |
|
6
|
Revvity, Inc.
|
47.0 | $130.22 | $10.7B |
|
7
|
10x Genomics, Inc. Class A Common Stock
|
46.0 | $62.65 | $1.5B |
|
8
|
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.Class A
|
44.4 | $386.11 | $8.1B |
|
9
|
Avantor, Inc.
|
42.3 | $14.97 | $9.3B |
|
10
|
Agilent Technologies Inc.
|
40.2 | $150.86 | $39.3B |
In-Depth Analysis: Top Lab Instruments Stocks
BRKR
Bruker Corp manufactures scientific instruments and diagnostic tests for customers in the life sciences, applied markets, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries. The company operates in segments, namely, Bruker Scientific Instruments (BSI) BioSpin, BSI CALID, BSI Nano, and Supercon Technologies (BEST). The company generates maximum revenue from the BSI CALID segment. Geographically, it derives the maximum of its revenue from United States.
Bruker Corporation is a key supplier of scientific instruments and diagnostic tests to life sciences, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology customers through its BSI BioSpin, BSI CALID, BSI Nano, and Supercon segments, supporting core lab workflows in research and applied markets.
Bruker reports negative profitability with a -2.0% profit margin and -3.0% ROE despite 5.2% revenue growth, indicating current margin pressure and weaker returns on equity, consistent with its 57.9/100 Tradestie Score.
Revenue growth of 5.2% positions Bruker to benefit from sustained demand in life sciences and biotech instrumentation through 2026. Margin recovery from the current -2.0% level could improve as scale efficiencies materialize in the BSI segments. The 57.9/100 Tradestie Score leaves room for re-rating if operational execution strengthens.
WAT
Water sells liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis tools. These analytical instruments provide essential information on various products, such as their molecular structures and physical properties, to help clients enhance the health and well-being of end users. As a percentage of sales in 2024, Waters generated 58% from biopharmaceutical customers, 31% from industrial clients, and 11% from academic/government institutions. …
Waters Corp supplies liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and thermal analysis instruments that deliver critical molecular and physical property data, supporting R&D and quality control across pharmaceuticals and life sciences in the Lab Instruments sector.
Despite 113.4% revenue growth, Waters reports a 3.6% profit margin and 1.9% ROE, reflecting compressed margins and limited returns on equity, while the 104.2 P/E ratio signals market expectations of sustained expansion amid current financial constraints.
Investors may consider WAT for 2026 on the back of its 113.4% revenue surge and essential role in health-focused analytical testing, with potential for margin recovery as scale improves efficiency in chromatography and spectrometry demand; the 55.8/100 Tradestie Score positions it as a moderate-risk entry into lab instrumentation growth.
MTD
Mettler-Toledo supplies weighing and precision instruments to customers in the life sciences (around 55% of sales), industrial (around 40%), and food retail (around 5%) industries. Its products include laboratory and retail scales, pipettes, pH meters, thermal analysis equipment, titrators, metal detectors, and X-ray analyzers. Mettler leads the market for weighing instrumentation and controls more than 50% of the market for …
Mettler-Toledo holds a leading position in the Lab Instruments sector as a primary supplier of precision weighing and analytical tools, with 55% of sales tied to life sciences customers requiring laboratory scales, pipettes, pH meters, and titrators for research and quality control.
The company delivers robust financial health through a 21.9% profit margin and 29.5% ROE, reflecting efficient operations and pricing power, though its 4.5% revenue growth and 30.9 P/E ratio indicate reliance on steady rather than rapid expansion.
MTD's 55% life sciences exposure positions it to benefit from sustained biotech and pharma R&D spending into 2026, while its 29.5% ROE supports ongoing share repurchases and margin stability at 21.9%. The 54.1/100 Tradestie Score combined with sector leadership in high-precision instruments could drive multiple expansion if revenue growth accelerates beyond 4.5% amid industrial recovery.
ILMN
Illumina provides tools and services to analyze genetic material with life science and clinical lab applications. The company generates over 90% of its revenue from sequencing instruments, consumables, and services. Illumina's high-throughput technology enables whole genome sequencing in humans and other large organisms. Its lower throughput tools enable applications that require smaller data outputs, such as viral and cancer tumor …
Illumina leads the Lab Instruments sector by supplying high-throughput sequencing instruments and consumables that enable whole genome analysis, accounting for over 90% of revenue in life science and clinical lab applications.
Illumina's 18.3% profit margin and 32.3% ROE reflect strong operational efficiency and returns on equity, backed by 9.4% revenue growth, while the 39.9 P/E ratio signals elevated valuation relative to earnings.
Investors should consider ILMN in 2026 as its dominant sequencing platform supports expanding clinical adoption and personalized medicine demand, sustaining the 9.4% revenue trajectory. High ROE of 32.3% and 18.3% margins provide financial flexibility for market share gains in genomics. The Tradestie Score of 51.4/100 leaves room for re-rating as sector growth accelerates.
EYPT
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Inc is a pharmaceutical company. It is engaged in developing and commercializing ophthalmic products for the treatment of eye diseases. The company has developed FDA-approved sustained-release treatments in ophthalmology. Its pre-clinical development program is focused on using its core Durasert E and Verisome technology platforms to deliver drugs to treat wet age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, osteoarthritis, and other …
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals contributes to the Lab Instruments sector through its FDA-approved sustained-release ophthalmic drug delivery systems that enable precise, instrument-compatible administration for eye disease treatments and support pre-clinical research workflows.
ROE of -148.7% signals ongoing net losses and weak equity returns, while 161.7% revenue growth reflects rapid commercialization of approved products that is beginning to scale operations despite negative margins.
Investors should consider EYPT in 2026 as 161.7% revenue growth positions the company for potential profitability inflection from sustained-release ophthalmology products. FDA approvals and pre-clinical pipeline expansion provide catalysts for market share gains in specialized delivery technologies. Tradestie Score of 50.6/100 indicates room for valuation upside if execution on commercialization continues.
RVTY
Revvity provides instruments, tests, services, and software solutions to the pharmaceutical, biomedical, chemical, environmental, and general industrial markets. The company operates in two segments. First, its diagnostics segment includes immunodiagnostics, reproductive health, and applied genomics. Second, its discovery and analytical solutions is composed of life science, industrial, environmental, and food applications. Revvity offers products and services ranging from genetic screening …
Revvity supplies critical lab instruments, immunodiagnostics, and applied genomics solutions to pharmaceutical, biomedical, and environmental markets, supporting core workflows in diagnostics and industrial testing within the Lab Instruments sector.
Revvity reports an 8.2% profit margin and 3.2% ROE alongside 1.3% revenue growth, reflecting limited returns on equity and thin margins that constrain financial flexibility at a P/E of 62.8.
Positioning in applied genomics and immunodiagnostics offers exposure to expanding pharma and reproductive health demand that could lift revenue growth above 1.3% by 2026. Margin expansion from the current 8.2% level would support ROE improvement from 3.2% and potential re-rating of the 62.8 P/E multiple. A Tradestie Score of 47.0/100 leaves room for operational gains to drive upside in a recovering lab instruments cycle.
TXG
10x Genomics Inc is a life science technology company based in the United States. Its solutions include instruments, consumables, and software for analyzing biological systems. The company's integrated solutions include instruments, consumables, and software for analyzing biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Its product offerings include a Chromium platform comprising microfluidic chips and …
10x Genomics supplies integrated instruments, consumables, and software for single-cell and spatial biological analysis, positioning it as a key enabler of advanced genomics workflows within the Lab Instruments sector.
The company reports a -12.2% profit margin and -9.4% ROE amid -12.7% revenue contraction, indicating persistent operating losses and negative returns on equity at a Tradestie Score of 46.0/100.
Revenue stabilization through wider adoption of its Chromium and Visium platforms could lift margins above the current -12.2% level by 2026 as life-science research budgets recover. Expansion into clinical applications for spatial transcriptomics offers a pathway to positive ROE, while sector demand for high-throughput genomic instruments supports potential multiple expansion from current levels.
BIO
Bio-Rad Laboratories, headquartered in Hercules, California, develops, manufactures, and sells products and solutions for the clinical diagnostics and life sciences markets. In clinical diagnostics (60% of sales), Bio-Rad sells test systems and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories. In life sciences (40% of sales), it develops and manufactures instruments and reagents used in research, biopharmaceutical production, and food testing and …
Bio-Rad Laboratories holds a key position in the Lab Instruments sector through its development of test systems and specialized quality controls for clinical laboratories, which represent 60% of total sales in the clinical diagnostics market.
The company reports an 8.6% profit margin and 3.1% ROE alongside -0.1% revenue growth, indicating limited earnings efficiency and stagnant top-line performance, while the 47.4 P/E ratio reflects a premium valuation relative to current returns.
Investors may consider BIO in 2026 for its entrenched diagnostics franchise that could benefit from rising clinical lab demand and quality control needs. Margin expansion above the current 8.6% level combined with revenue stabilization offers a path to improved ROE from 3.1%. Sector tailwinds in life sciences may support re-rating from the 44.4 Tradestie Score if growth resumes.
AVTR
Avantor Inc provider of products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries. The company has three geographic segments: the Americas, Europe, and AMEA. The company's product group consists of Equipment & instrumentation, Services & specialty procurement, Proprietary materials & consumables, and Third-party materials & consumables. Materials & consumables include …
Avantor supplies critical equipment and services to biopharma, healthcare, education, and advanced materials customers across Americas, Europe, and AMEA segments, anchoring supply chains in the Lab Instruments sector.
Negative profit margin of -8.8% and ROE of -9.7% signal weak financial health and returns, despite modest 0.5% revenue growth that has not yet translated to bottom-line improvement.
Exposure to biopharma and advanced technologies end-markets across three continents positions AVTR for revenue acceleration in 2026 if sector demand rebounds. Margin expansion from the current -8.8% base could drive earnings recovery given the low starting point. A Tradestie Score of 42.3/100 leaves headroom for multiple re-rating on operational stabilization.
A
Originally spun out of Hewlett-Packard in 1999, Agilent has evolved into a leading life science and diagnostic firm. Today, Agilent's measurement technologies serve a broad base of customers with its three operating segments: life science and applied tools, cross lab consisting of consumables and services related to life science and applied tools, and diagnostics and genomics. Over half of its …
Agilent Technologies leads the Lab Instruments sector as a key provider of measurement technologies across its life science and applied tools, cross lab consumables and services, and diagnostics and genomics segments, serving diverse customers in research and healthcare since its 1999 Hewlett-Packard spin-off.
Agilent's 19.5% profit margin and 21.0% ROE reflect strong operational efficiency and effective capital deployment, supported by 8.1% revenue growth that signals stable demand in lab instrumentation markets.
Investors should consider Agilent for 2026 given its 21.0% ROE and 19.5% margins, which enable sustained reinvestment in high-growth life sciences applications amid expanding diagnostics demand. The 8.1% revenue trajectory combined with a 29.6 P/E ratio positions the stock for multiple expansion if sector spending accelerates, outweighing the 40.2/100 Tradestie Score through margin resilience.
Methodology
Stocks are ranked using the Tradestie Score, a proprietary 0-100 rating that combines fundamental quality (profitability, balance sheet strength), growth metrics (revenue and earnings growth), valuation (P/E, PEG ratio), and momentum factors. Scores are updated daily based on the latest market data. Learn more about our methodology.