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10x Genomics, Inc. (TXG)·Q4 2024 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q4 2024 revenue was $165.0M, down 10% year-over-year and up 9% sequential; gross margin improved to 67% (vs 63% YoY), while net loss was $49.0M and EPS was $(0.40) .
- Mix shift continued: spatial consumables rose 61% YoY to $35.8M and spatial instruments fell 51% YoY to $13.4M; Chromium consumables declined 17% YoY to $97.7M reflecting deliberate price investments to grow volumes .
- FY 2025 revenue guidance: $610–$630M (0–3% YoY), implying double-digit growth in Chromium reactions and overall spatial revenue; management flagged NIH funding uncertainty (20–25% revenue exposure) and a potential un-modeled $10–$15M impact if an 8% NIH cut were fully implemented .
- Commercial reorganization progress and major 2024 product launches (GEM-X, Visium HD, Xenium Prime 5K) underpin confidence; sequential Chromium reaction volumes increased in Q4, supporting the volume-for-price strategy and medium-term setup .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Spatial consumables strength: Q4 spatial consumables +61% YoY to $35.8M; full-year spatial consumables +104% YoY to $121.1M, indicating robust adoption of Visium HD and Xenium Prime 5K .
- Gross margin expansion: Q4 gross margin rose to 67% (from 63% YoY), driven by product mix (fewer Xenium instruments); FY 2024 gross margin was 68% (vs 66% FY 2023) .
- Strategic product launches and pricing: “Customers can now run million cell experiments… at a price point of $0.01 per cell with our GEM-X flex assay” and “sequential increases in reactions sold throughout the year,” validating demand elasticity and democratization strategy .
What Went Wrong
- Instruments softness: Q4 instruments revenue fell 37% YoY to $24.4M, with spatial instruments down 51% YoY on fewer Xenium placements; sequential “budget flush” late in Q4 still left instrument mix a drag on gross margin it can swing with Xenium unit sales .
- Chromium consumables pressure: Q4 Chromium consumables dropped 17% YoY to $97.7M due to lower reaction pricing; management guides 2025 Chromium consumables “modestly down” as lower-priced products become a bigger mix .
- Macro/NIH uncertainty: Guidance embeds mid-single-digit decline in NIH-funded projects (~$7M impact), but does not include potential indirect cost cap effects; a fully-implemented 8% NIH cut could impact revenue by ~$10–$15M .
Financial Results
Core Metrics vs Prior Periods
Segment Breakdown (Revenue)
Geographic Revenue (Customer Location)
KPIs
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- Prepared remarks emphasized democratization: “Customers can now run million cell experiments… at a price point of $0.01 per cell with our GEM-X flex assay” and “sequential increases in reactions sold throughout the year” .
- Spatial innovation momentum: “Visium HD… enabling whole transcript… at single-cell scale resolution… new chemistry and software… Xenium Prime 5K… excellent per gene sensitivity, specificity and spatial fidelity” .
- Strategic priorities for 2025: complete commercial transformation, drive volume via lower prices, expand in biopharma (targeting long-term ~50% of business), support translational cohort studies, and large-scale single-cell AI initiatives (e.g., Billion Cells Project) .
- CFO on 2025 outlook: revenue $610–$630M, embeds mid-single-digit NIH decline (~$7M), spatial double-digit growth, Chromium consumables modestly down, gross margin roughly similar to FY 2024; back-half weighted as hiring completes .
Q&A Highlights
- NIH funding uncertainty: Guide includes
mid-single-digit decline ($7M); potential 8% NIH budget cut (via indirect cap) could be ~$10–$15M impact, not included; customer confidence and spending timing could be affected . - Chromium reaction growth: Sequential increase from Q3 to Q4; confidence in double-digit reaction growth in 2025 driven by lower prices, new configurations, new use cases, and large projects .
- Gross margin cadence: Expect similar to FY 2024; mix (Xenium instruments) and competing/winning large projects can pressure margin; inflationary supply costs being mitigated by ops efficiencies .
- Xenium placements and spatial: Expect 2025 growth in Xenium units; dedicated Xenium capital equipment team ramping; spatial business to grow double digits .
- China exposure: Products inherently compatible with various sequencers; risk reasonably contained; China ~9% of sales; alternative sequencing in-country mitigates ILMN-specific risks .
Estimates Context
- Wall Street consensus estimates via S&P Global were unavailable at time of this analysis due to data access limitations; we cannot formally assess Q4 revenue/EPS vs consensus or quantify a beat/miss. As a result, estimate comparisons are not shown, and near-term estimate revisions should be monitored once consensus data is retrievable (S&P Global).
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Spatial momentum offsets instrument headwinds: Strong spatial consumables growth and improving gross margin set a constructive mix backdrop; watch Xenium unit cadence—more units could pressure margin short-term but expand installed base .
- Volume-for-price strategy is working: Sequential reaction increases validate demand elasticity; expect continued ASP pressure with lower-priced GEM-X, but broader usage should underpin medium-term growth .
- 2025 guide is conservative and back-half weighted: 0–3% growth with spatial double-digit growth and Chromium reactions up; near-term execution hinges on completing commercial build by midyear .
- NIH policy is the swing factor: Embedded
mid-single-digit decline ($7M) with un-modeled indirect cap risk of ~$10–$15M; funding clarity is a major stock catalyst—monitor policy outcomes and academic budget behavior . - Biopharma expansion is a structural thesis: Dedicated org and maturing product capabilities (FFPE compatibility across platforms) support mix shift toward translational and clinical applications over time .
- Watch product-cycle and cohort study pipeline: Visium HD and Xenium Prime 5K feedback is strong; large-scale single-cell projects (e.g., Billion Cells Project) could become multi-quarter drivers; timing may affect margin and revenue pacing .
- Balance sheet strength for execution: Cash and marketable securities of $393.4M provide flexibility to invest through macro volatility and legal costs while driving efficiencies .
Notes and cross-references:
- CFO commentary on FY 2024 R&D expense indicates $254.7M vs press release $264.7M; this discrepancy suggests possible misstatement or differing classifications; we reference the filed 8-K totals for formal reporting and flag the difference from call remarks .
- Operating loss and EPS include stock-based compensation; Q4 SBC totaled $32.5M; FY SBC $140.7M; legal expenses were a notable SG&A driver in Q4 and FY .