Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) CEO Sells $8,638,615.68 in Stock

Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) CEO Emily Leproust sold 45,736 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.88, for a total transaction of $8,638,615.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 567,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $107,153,135.04. This trade represents a 7.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Twist Bioscience Stock Performance

Shares of TWST stock opened at $155.65 on Thursday. Twist Bioscience Corporation has a 12-month low of $23.30 and a 12-month high of $219.71. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $141.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.67, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a market cap of $9.76 billion, a PE ratio of -70.11 and a beta of 2.19.

Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.51) by ($0.05). Twist Bioscience had a negative return on equity of 28.64% and a negative net margin of 31.66%.The business had revenue of $118.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Twist Bioscience Corporation will post -2.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on TWST. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Twist Bioscience from $112.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Twist Bioscience from $160.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Twist Bioscience from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Twist Bioscience from $107.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Twist Bioscience in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Twist Bioscience has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $126.18.

Twist Bioscience News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Twist Bioscience this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent business momentum remains intact: Twist’s latest quarterly update included record revenue of $118.4 million, revenue growth of 23% year over year, gross margin above 52%, and higher full-year revenue guidance. Revenue also exceeded analyst expectations, although the company remained loss-making.
• Positive Sentiment: Lilly collaboration initially boosted enthusiasm: News of the Lilly TuneLab partnership helped drive a substantial rally, reflecting investor interest in Twist’s synthetic-DNA platform and potential drug-discovery applications. However, the durability and strategic value of the collaboration are now being debated.
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts remain constructive: Guggenheim reportedly raised its price target to $212 and maintained a buy rating, while broader analyst coverage still reflects a “Moderate Buy” consensus. Twist Bioscience stock gained after Lilly deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider transactions were largely prearranged: CEO Emily Leproust sold shares under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, including stock used for tax withholding, while other executives also reported sales. These transactions do not necessarily indicate discretionary bearish views, but the concentration of selling has attracted investor attention. SEC insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation pressure: Recent filings showed sales by Leproust and other insiders, while reported insider activity over the past six months contained sales but no purchases. With TWST trading far above many older analyst targets and still posting losses, the filings encouraged profit-taking after the stock’s major run-up.
• Negative Sentiment: Partnership skepticism and dilution concerns: Analysts questioning the eventual strategic payoff from the Lilly deal weakened the bullish narrative. Investors are also mindful of Twist’s $300 million August stock offering, which increased potential dilution.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Twist Bioscience

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Twist Bioscience in the second quarter valued at approximately $277,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new position in Twist Bioscience during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,333,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Twist Bioscience during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $99,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Twist Bioscience by 54.9% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the period. Finally, Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Twist Bioscience during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $283,000.

Twist Bioscience Company Profile

Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) is a biotechnology company that develops and manufactures synthetic DNA using a silicon-based production platform. Its technology is designed to enable the precise, high-throughput synthesis of DNA at smaller scale and with potentially lower material consumption than traditional methods.

The company provides synthetic DNA products and services for applications in drug discovery and development, biotechnology research, agriculture, industrial chemicals and other life sciences markets.