Ginkgo Bioworks Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results, Completes Divestiture of Biosecurity and Continues to Scale Autonomous Lab
Rhea-AI Summary
Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) reported Q1 2026 results and completed the divestiture of its Biosecurity business on April 3, 2026, presenting that unit as discontinued operations.
Key metrics: Q1 revenue $19M (down 49% vs. prior year), GAAP net loss $76M, Adjusted EBITDA $(42)M, and $373M in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2026. Full‑year 2026 cash burn is reaffirmed at $(150)M–$(125)M. Management reiterated focus on scaling its Nebula autonomous lab.
Positive
- Completed divestiture of Biosecurity business on April 3, 2026
- $373M cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2026
- Nebula autonomous lab positioned to scale, targeting to double size in 2026
- Reaffirmed full‑year cash burn guidance of $(150)M–$(125)M
Negative
- Revenue down 49% to $19M in Q1 2026 versus Q1 2025
- GAAP net loss from continuing operations of $76M in Q1 2026
- Adjusted EBITDA was a negative $42M in Q1 2026
- Company cites program rationalization and restructuring as primary drivers of revenue decline
News Market Reaction – DNA
In the May 8 session, DNA declined 13.47%, reflecting a significant negative market reaction. Argus tracked a trough of -21.1% from its starting point during tracking. Our momentum scanner triggered 15 alerts that day, indicating notable trading interest and price volatility.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Previous Earnings Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 06 | Q3 2025 earnings | Negative | -20.8% | Q3 2025 revenue down 56% YoY with ongoing GAAP loss and negative EBITDA. |
| Aug 07 | Q2 2025 earnings | Positive | -8.7% | Q2 2025 showed Cell Engineering growth, smaller GAAP loss, and cost reductions. |
| May 06 | Q1 2025 earnings | Positive | +14.7% | Q1 2025 revenue grew with improved GAAP loss and Adjusted EBITDA, strong cash. |
| Feb 25 | FY 2024 earnings | Negative | -11.5% | FY 2024 revenue declined 10% with sizable GAAP loss despite cost reductions. |
| Nov 12 | Q3 2024 earnings | Negative | +2.5% | Q3 2024 underlying revenue and segment trends weakened despite non-cash uplift. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Earnings releases have often led to downside moves, with an average 1-day reaction of -4.75%.
Recent earnings history for Ginkgo Bioworks shows recurring revenue pressure and ongoing losses alongside cost reductions and strategic refocusing. Prior quarters highlighted revenue declines (often after non-cash items rolled off), GAAP net losses, and Adjusted EBITDA remaining negative, while management emphasized cost cuts and guidance reaffirmations. Cash balances ranged from $462M to $517M. The latest quarter continues this pattern with lower revenue, a narrowed GAAP loss, negative Adjusted EBITDA and a $373M cash position after divesting Biosecurity.
Key Terms
discontinued operations financial
GAAP financial
Adjusted EBITDA financial
autonomous lab technical
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Ginkgo provides an update on its first quarter financial results following the divestiture of its Biosecurity business
First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
- As previously announced, Ginkgo completed the divestiture of its Biosecurity business on April 3, 2026 and is presenting the financial results of operations for the former business within discontinued operations. Accordingly, Ginkgo's previously reported financial results for comparable periods have been retrospectively recast to conform to this presentation and reflect Ginkgo as a single reporting segment.
- First quarter 2026 Revenue of
$19 million $38 million 49% . As previously reported, the first quarter of 2025 benefited from$7 million $19 million $31 million 37% . The decrease in revenue is primarily attributed to ongoing program rationalization as part of our restructuring activities. - First quarter 2026 GAAP net loss from continuing operations of
$(76) million $(83) million - First quarter 2026 Adjusted EBITDA of
$(42) million $(44) million - Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance as of March 31, 2026 of
$373 million
"We believe autonomous labs will replace the lab bench more quickly than people think," said Jason Kelly, Co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. "Nebula is already the world's largest autonomous lab with the ability to run real customer science around the clock and we're targeting to double its size this year. We see a large market that remains overwhelmingly manual today, and every experiment our Solutions, Datapoints, and Cloud Lab businesses run on Nebula generates revenue today while making the platform better for tomorrow. Ginkgo is singularly focused on leading the transition from the lab bench to autonomous research infrastructure that runs 24/7 and integrates directly with the AI models transforming drug discovery and industrial biotechnology."
Recent Business Highlights & Strategic Positioning
- We believe that autonomous labs will replace the bench.
- The return on investment of the autonomous lab is clear for customers, with millions of square feet and tens of billions per year being spent on work happening at the lab bench
- The autonomous lab is a machine that can run 24/7 and can be seamlessly integrated into emerging AI models
- Nebula, our autonomous lab, is showing what is possible at the bleeding edge.
- Nebula is the world's largest autonomous lab and in 2026 we are aiming to double its size
- Recent coverage positions Ginkgo at the frontier of scientific innovation in the scientific (Nature), trade (R&D World), mainstream (Forbes, The Washington Post), and tech press (Sequoia's Training Data, TBPN)
- Policymakers and heads of R&D visit for our internal demonstrations. During SLAS 2026, over 500 visitors came to tour Nebula
- Cloud Lab, Datapoints, and Solutions are our version of Starlink.
- They both create revenue and speed the development of the autonomous lab
- We are seeing traction with our Cloud Lab from partners such as ProQR and Amazon, who included us as an integrated wet lab partner on their Amazon Bio Discovery platform
Full Year 2026 Outlook
- Ginkgo reaffirms expected total cash burn of
$(150) -$(125) million
Conference Call Details
Ginkgo will host a videoconference today, Thursday, May 7, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET. The presentation will include an overview of the first quarter 2026, recent business updates, a discussion on Ginkgo's outlook, as well as a moderated question and answer session.
To ask a question ahead of the presentation, please submit your questions to @Ginkgo on X (hashtag #GinkgoResults) or by sending an e-mail to investors@ginkgobioworks.com.
A webcast link is available on Ginkgo's Investor Relations website and a replay will be made available following the presentation.
Ginkgo Investor Website: https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com/events/
Audio-Only Dial Ins:
+1 646 876 9923 (
+1 301 715 8592 (
+1 305 224 1968 (
+1 689 278 1000 (
+1 312 626 6799 (
+1 507 473 4847 (
+1 346 248 7799 (
+1 719 359 4580 (
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Webinar ID: 931 5925 7666
If you experience technical difficulties with any of these dial-ins or if you need international dial-in numbers, please visit our website at https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com/events/ for updated dial-in information.
About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. The company offers autonomous laboratories that replace manual laboratory work with robotics in the lab, greatly improving the productivity of scientists. Ginkgo's in-house autonomous lab is also available as a "Cloud Lab" through our Datapoints and Solutions contract research services. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks
This press release, the presentation, and the conference call and webcast contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding our plans, including with respect to technology adaptations to meet our customers' needs and the integration of our autonomous lab platform with third-party artificial intelligence models, strategies, including with respect to our current expectations, operations and anticipated results of operations, both business and financial, including the timing for attaining Adjusted EBITDA breakeven, potential customer success, including successful application of our offerings by our customers, expected benefits from our strategic partnerships and collaborations (including with named partners such as ProQR and Amazon), the anticipated growth, scaling, capacity, capabilities and competitive position of our autonomous lab (including Nebula) and of our Cloud Lab, Datapoints and Solutions offerings, our beliefs and estimates regarding the size, composition, growth and pace of adoption of the market for autonomous laboratory and related services (including the displacement of manual laboratory work), expectations regarding the development, performance and future enhancements of our platform, and expectations with regard to revenue, including our ability to meet all milestones and achieve the maximum revenue available under certain of our customer arrangements, expenses, our full year 2026 outlook including the total cash burn guidance, and the market environment, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, market trends, or industry results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," "target," "goal," "aim," "design," "forecast," "outlook," "guidance," "seek" "position," and similar expressions, as well as the negatives of such terms. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to realize near-term and long-term cost savings associated with our site consolidation plans, including the ability to terminate leases or find sub-lease tenants for unused facilities, (ii) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, including with respect to our solutions and tools offerings, (iv) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (v) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (vi) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vii) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our platform programs and assets, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, (x) the product development, production or manufacturing success of our customers, (xi) our exposure to the volatility and liquidity risks inherent in holding equity interests in other operating companies and other non-cash consideration we may receive for our services, (xii) the potential negative impact on our business of our restructuring or the failure to realize the anticipated savings associated therewith, (xiii) the uncertainty regarding government budgetary priorities and funding allocated to government agencies, including potential adverse effects from the
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Certain of the financial measures included in this release, including Adjusted EBITDA, cash flow and cash burn, have not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"), and constitute "non-GAAP financial measures" as defined by the SEC. Ginkgo has included these non-GAAP financial measures because it believes they provide an additional tool for investors to use in evaluating Ginkgo's financial performance and prospects. Due to the nature and/or size of the items being excluded, such items do not reflect future gains, losses, expenses or benefits and are not indicative of our future operating performance. These non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental to, and should not be considered in isolation from, or as an alternative to, financial measures determined in accordance with GAAP. In addition, these non-GAAP financial measures may differ from non-GAAP financial measures with comparable names used by other companies. See the reconciliation below for additional information regarding certain of the non-GAAP financial measures included in this release, including a description of these non-GAAP financial measures and a reconciliation of the historic measures to Ginkgo's most comparable GAAP financial measures. Ginkgo does not reconcile its forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures, due to variability and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections and/or certain information not being ascertainable or accessible; and because not all of the information, such as unrealized equity gains and losses necessary for a quantitative reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, can be predicted with reasonable accuracy and is available to Ginkgo without unreasonable efforts. For the same reasons, Ginkgo is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information. Ginkgo provides non-GAAP financial measures that it believes will be achieved, however it cannot accurately predict all of the components of the adjusted calculations and the GAAP measures may be materially different than the non-GAAP measures.
Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:
INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited) (in thousands, except share data) | |||
As of March 31, | As of December 31, | ||
Assets | |||
Current assets: | |||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ 143,864 | $ 167,202 | |
Marketable securities | 229,592 | 255,418 | |
Accounts receivable, net | 19,815 | 24,026 | |
Accounts receivable - related parties | 454 | 229 | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 16,230 | 24,963 | |
Total current assets | 409,955 | 471,838 | |
Property, plant and equipment, net | 163,020 | 167,371 | |
Operating lease right-of-use assets | 353,804 | 360,918 | |
Investments | 14,703 | 15,066 | |
Intangible assets, net | 48,860 | 53,482 | |
Other non-current assets | 39,522 | 47,167 | |
Assets held for sale | 3,211 | 3,854 | |
Total assets | $ 1,033,075 | $ 1,119,696 | |
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | |||
Current liabilities: | |||
Accounts payable | $ 16,309 | $ 10,566 | |
Deferred revenue (includes | 14,910 | 18,946 | |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 48,376 | 66,458 | |
Total current liabilities | 79,595 | 95,970 | |
Non-current liabilities: | |||
Deferred revenue, net of current portion (includes | 77,895 | 75,182 | |
Operating lease liabilities, non-current | 410,700 | 417,078 | |
Other non-current liabilities | 21,732 | 22,876 | |
Total liabilities | 589,922 | 611,106 | |
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10) | |||
Stockholders' equity: | |||
Preferred stock, | — | — | |
Common stock, | 6 | 6 | |
Additional paid-in capital | 6,674,860 | 6,657,053 | |
Accumulated deficit | (6,232,907) | (6,150,320) | |
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 1,194 | 1,851 | |
Total stockholders' equity | 443,153 | 508,590 | |
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 1,033,075 | $ 1,119,696 | |
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (unaudited) (in thousands, except share data) | |||
Three Months Ended March | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Revenue (1) | $ 19,474 | $ 38,230 | |
Costs and operating expenses: | |||
Cost of other revenue | 3,098 | 4,090 | |
Research and development | 49,920 | 70,923 | |
General and administrative | 37,830 | 39,723 | |
Restructuring charges | — | 4,466 | |
Total operating expenses | 90,848 | 119,202 | |
Loss from operations | (71,374) | (80,972) | |
Other income (expense): | |||
Interest income, net | 3,596 | 6,081 | |
Loss on investments | (1,214) | (3,693) | |
Other expense, net | (7,147) | (4,638) | |
Total other expense | (4,765) | (2,250) | |
Loss from continuing operations before income taxes | (76,139) | (83,222) | |
Income tax (benefit) expense | (80) | 88 | |
Net loss from continuing operations | $ (76,059) | $ (83,310) | |
Net loss from discontinued operations, net of tax | (6,528) | (7,647) | |
Net loss | $ (82,587) | $ (90,957) | |
Net loss per share: | |||
Basic from continuing operations | $ (1.28) | $ (1.54) | |
Basic from discontinued operations | (0.11) | (0.14) | |
Basic | $ (1.39) | $ (1.68) | |
Weighted average common shares outstanding: | |||
Basic | 59,563,454 | 54,241,619 | |
Comprehensive loss: | |||
Net loss | (82,587) | (90,957) | |
Other comprehensive (loss) income: | |||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | (579) | 849 | |
Unrealized gains (loss) on available-for-sale securities | (78) | 107 | |
Total other comprehensive (loss) income | (657) | 956 | |
Comprehensive loss | $ (83,244) | $ (90,001) | |
(1) includes related party revenue of zero and |
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) (in thousands) | |||
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Cash flows from operating activities: | |||
Net loss from continuing operations | $ (76,059) | $ (83,310) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | |||
Depreciation and amortization | 12,799 | 14,822 | |
Stock-based compensation | 15,853 | 17,386 | |
Loss on investments | 1,214 | 3,693 | |
Change in fair value of notes receivable | 6,759 | 5,285 | |
Change in fair value of contingent consideration | — | (1,302) | |
Non-cash lease expense | 7,114 | 7,379 | |
Accretion of discount on marketable securities | (120) | — | |
Other non-cash activity | 185 | 149 | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||
Accounts receivable | (242) | (667) | |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 5,930 | (581) | |
Operating lease right-of-use assets | — | 3,675 | |
Other non-current assets | 94 | (167) | |
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities | (11,601) | 8,869 | |
Deferred revenue, current and non-current (includes zero and | (2,606) | (13,190) | |
Operating lease liabilities, current and non-current | (4,995) | (4,790) | |
Other non-current liabilities | (758) | — | |
Net cash used in operating activities - continuing operations | (46,433) | (42,749) | |
Net cash used in operating activities - discontinued operations | (253) | (8,772) | |
Net cash used in operating activities | (46,686) | (51,521) | |
Cash flows from investing activities: | |||
Purchases of marketable debt securities | (83,161) | (191,182) | |
Maturities of marketable debt securities | 108,178 | — | |
Purchases of property and equipment | (1,933) | (7,622) | |
Other | 48 | 120 | |
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 23,132 | (198,684) | |
Cash flows from financing activities: | |||
Principal payments on finance leases | (19) | (207) | |
Net cash used in financing activities | (19) | (207) | |
Effect of foreign exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents | (129) | 74 | |
Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | (23,702) | (250,338) | |
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 167,202 | 561,572 | |
Restricted cash, beginning of period | 45,169 | 44,171 | |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period | 212,371 | 605,743 | |
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period | 143,864 | 312,420 | |
Restricted cash, end of period | 44,805 | 42,985 | |
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period | $ 188,669 | $ 355,405 | |
The following table presents summary results of the Company's reportable segment, including significant expenses, and a reconciliation to loss from continuing operations before income taxes (in thousands):
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
2026 | 2025 | ||
Revenue | $ 19,474 | $ 38,230 | |
Costs and operating expenses: | |||
Cost of other revenue (1) | 2,672 | 3,121 | |
Research and development (1) | 30,105 | 48,670 | |
General and administrative (1) | 12,723 | 19,654 | |
Stock-based compensation (2) | 16,708 | 17,713 | |
Depreciation and amortization | 12,799 | 14,822 | |
Restructuring charges (3) | — | 4,466 | |
Carrying cost of excess space (net of sublease income) (4) | 15,842 | 11,674 | |
Merger and acquisition related expense (income) (5) | — | (918) | |
Other (income) expense, net (6) | 4,764 | 2,250 | |
Loss from continuing operations before income taxes | $ (76,139) | $ (83,222) | |
(1) | The costs and operating expenses exclude expenses which are separately captioned below. |
(2) | Includes |
(3) | See Note 3, Restructuring, for composition of costs. |
(4) | The carrying cost of excess space includes base rent, common area maintenance charges, and real estate taxes associated with facilities the Company is not occupying, net of any sublease income from these spaces. |
(5) | Represents transaction and integration costs directly related to mergers and acquisitions, including: (i) legal, consulting, and accounting fees associated with acquisitions; (ii) post-acquisition employee retention bonuses; (iii) (gain)/loss from changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities resulting from acquisitions; and (iv) securities litigation costs. |
(6) | Includes interest income, interest expense, loss on investments, changes in fair value of certain assets and liabilities, and other gains and losses. |
Three Months Ended March 31, | |||
(in thousands) | 2026 | 2025 | |
Net loss from continuing operations (1) | $ (76,059) | $ (83,310) | |
Interest income, net | (3,596) | (6,081) | |
Income tax (benefit) expense | (80) | 88 | |
Depreciation and amortization | 12,799 | 14,822 | |
EBITDA | (66,936) | (74,481) | |
Stock-based compensation (2) | 16,708 | 17,713 | |
Restructuring charges (3) | — | 4,466 | |
Merger and acquisition related (income) expense (4) | — | (918) | |
Loss (gain) on investments | 1,214 | 3,693 | |
Change in fair value of notes receivable | 6,759 | 5,285 | |
Adjusted EBITDA | $ (42,255) | $ (44,242) | |
(1) | All periods include non-cash revenue when earned, including |
(2) | Includes |
(3) | Restructuring charges primarily consist of employee termination costs from the reduction in force commenced in June 2024. |
(4) | Represents transaction and integration costs directly related to mergers and acquisitions, including: (i) legal, consulting, and accounting fees associated with acquisitions; (ii) post-acquisition employee retention bonuses; (iii) (gain)/loss from changes in the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities resulting from acquisitions; and (iv) securities litigation costs. Not included in this adjustment are acquired in-process research and development expenses, which totaled zero for both the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively. |
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SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks