What Management Said
Read the full Q4 2025 transcript ↗2025 represents the first full year for Shield IVD, where very meaningful volume and revenue generation exceeds our expectations. We have significantly expanded the commercial team and established impactful strategic partnerships to meet the growing demand for a high-performing, blood-based screening option. Importantly, this execution has directly driven strong financial performance, both accelerating our top-line growth and strengthening our path to profitability. Turning to top-line performance on slide four, we delivered $281 million of revenue in the Q4, representing 39% year-over-year growth, and $982 million of revenue or 33% year-over-year growth for the full year.
This exceptional performance reflects continued broad-based growth across our oncology screening and biopharma and data businesses. Taking a closer look at our oncology business in slide five, oncology revenue increased 30% to $190 million, and oncology volumes grew 38% to approximately 79,000 tests in the Q4. Together, these drivers will continue to catalyze very strong growth in our oncology business. Reveal continues to be our fastest-growing product, reflecting growing demand for tissue-free MRD.
Turning to slide 9 to take a closer look at our Reveal data pipeline. Shifting gears to our biopharma and data business in slide 11, we delivered another year of strong performance, with revenue growing 18% year-over-year to $210 million in 2025. We are a leader in companion diagnostics, with 25 approvals to date across the U.S., Japan, and Europe, and a robust pipeline of ongoing CDx programs. We delivered $35 million of Shield testing revenue in Q4, driven by approximately 38,000 tests, which was a meaningful step-up compared to 24,000 tests in Q3.
- Q4 revenue grew 39% year-over-year to $281.3 million, and full-year 2025 revenue grew 33% to $982.0 million, reflecting broad-based growth across oncology, biopharma and data, and screening.
- Oncology revenue rose 30% to $189.9 million in Q4 with volumes up 38% to approximately 79,000 tests, and Guardant360 Liquid volumes grew nearly 30% supported by Smart app adoption.
- Shield delivered $35 million in screening revenue in Q4 from about 38,000 tests, a step-up from 24,000 tests in Q3, with management calling it the most successful diagnostic launch in history outside of COVID testing.
- Shield achieved 93% real-world adherence across the first 100,000 tests ordered, well above the 25%-71% range typical of other screening modalities.
- Non-GAAP gross margin improved to 66% in Q4 (from 63% a year earlier), driven by Reveal cost per test falling under $500 and Shield gross margin reaching 52% from negative levels at launch.
- The core business excluding screening generated positive free cash flow in both Q3 and Q4, and full-year free cash flow burn improved by $42 million to $233 million.
- Biopharma and data Q4 revenue grew only 9% to $54.0 million, a slower rate than other segments, though described as in line with expectations.
- Full-year non-GAAP operating expenses of $903.7 million came in modestly above guidance due to a higher 2025 bonus accrual and continued reinvestment of screening gross profit into sales and marketing.
- Adjusted EBITDA remained a loss of $64.9 million in Q4 and $220.9 million for the full year, and the company does not expect company-wide cash flow breakeven until the end of 2027.
- Shield ASP of approximately $850 reflects a focus on Medicare-covered patients, and management guided ASP lower in 2026 as growing demand from under-65 commercial patients shifts the payer mix.
Guidance Changes
| Metric | Period | Current guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | FY2026 | $1.25B-$1.28B (27%-30% growth) (new) |
| Oncology revenue growth | FY2026 | 25%-27%, with ~30% volume growth (new) |
| Screening revenue | FY2026 | $162M-$174M on 210,000-225,000 tests (new) |
| Biopharma and data revenue growth | FY2026 | low double-digit (new) |
| Non-GAAP gross margin | FY2026 | 64%-65% (lower) |
| Non-GAAP operating expenses | FY2026 | $1.03B-$1.05B (14%-16% growth) (higher) |
| Free cash flow burn | FY2026 | $185M-$195M (improved) |
| Long-range revenue target | FY2028 | $2.2 billion (reaffirmed) |
Performance Breakdown
| Metric | YoY | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 total revenue | +39% to $281.3M | Strong execution across oncology, biopharma and data, and screening. |
| Q4 oncology revenue | +30% to $189.9M | Continued strong volume growth driven by Smart app adoption on Guardant360 Liquid, the Guardant360 Tissue Smart Platform upgrade, and Reveal. |
| Q4 oncology volume | +38% to ~79,000 tests | Broad contribution across all oncology products, with Reveal the fastest-growing on CRC surveillance reimbursement and therapy monitoring uptake. |
| Q4 biopharma and data revenue | +9% to $54.0M | In line with expectations. |
| Q4 non-GAAP gross margin | 66% vs 63% | Reveal cost per test fell from over $1,000 in Q3 2024 to under $500, plus Shield gross margin improving to 52%. |
| Q4 adjusted EBITDA loss | Improved to -$64.9M from -$78.4M | Revenue growth and gross margin improvement outpacing expense growth. |
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
| Topic | Previous mention | Current period | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Platform driving oncology volumes | Tissue upgrade released Q2 2025 | 15 Smart applications developed on Guardant360 Liquid; tissue accelerating in second half | Expanding |
| Reveal therapy monitoring | — | Launched in Q4; bridges Guardant360 therapy selection to monitoring to retreatment; data packages submitted to MolDX | Expanding |
| Shield commercial scale-up | ~300 reps at year-end | Quest and PathGroup collaborations broadening national reach in 2026; ADLT rate of $1,495 secured through December 2027 | Expanding |
| Multi-cancer detection (MCD) | MCD report introduced October | Shield MCD report covers nine cancers plus CRC; new Medicare coverage pathway legislation passed but not a near-term driver | Early/expanding |
| Path to profitability | — | Core business ex-screening free cash flow positive in 2026; company-wide breakeven targeted end of 2027 | Improving |
| MetaSyte acquisition | — | Acquired in December for $59M upfront plus up to $90M contingent; complementary technology to enhance CRC screening and MCD | New |
Q&A Summary
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