Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) Stock: Insider Emily Leproust Sells 1,687 Shares

Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) CEO Emily Leproust sold 1,687 shares of Twist Bioscience stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.49, for a total value of $279,181.63. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 618,902 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $102,422,091.98. The trade was a 0.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Twist Bioscience Stock Up 16.1%

Twist Bioscience stock opened at $184.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.54 billion, a PE ratio of -82.90 and a beta of 2.22. Twist Bioscience Corporation has a 12-month low of $23.30 and a 12-month high of $185.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $125.11 and its 200 day moving average is $86.46. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($0.56) EPS 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 company had revenue of $118.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.55 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Twist Bioscience Corporation will post -2.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Twist Bioscience

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in Twist Bioscience in the second quarter worth approximately $62,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Twist Bioscience during the second quarter worth approximately $63,000. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Twist Bioscience during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in shares of Twist Bioscience in the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Twist Bioscience by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 943 shares of the company’s stock worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on TWST. Leerink Partners upped their target price on Twist Bioscience from $120.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on Twist Bioscience from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Twist Bioscience from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on Twist Bioscience from $65.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Twist Bioscience in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Twist Bioscience presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.00.

Key Headlines Impacting Twist Bioscience

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

• Positive Sentiment: Twist’s partnership with Eli Lilly’s TuneLab AI-driven drug-discovery platform, under which Twist will serve as a preferred antibody-characterization data provider, strengthens its exposure to pharmaceutical research and artificial-intelligence applications. Twist Bioscience Expands AI Drug Discovery Exposure With Lilly TuneLab Partnership
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarterly results showed revenue of $118.4 million, up 23.2% year over year, while full-year revenue guidance was raised. Those results provide fundamental support for the recent rally, although Twist remains unprofitable and missed the latest quarterly EPS estimate.
• Neutral Sentiment: TWST recently reached a new 12-month high, making the shares vulnerable to consolidation as investors lock in gains after the partnership-driven advance. Twist Bioscience Hits New 12-Month High
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was listed at zero shares as of September 24, implying no measurable short-covering pressure. Because the figure conflicts with the article’s description of a “significant increase,” investors should treat the data cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Emily Leproust sold 1,687 shares, while SVP Paula Green and insider Dennis Cho sold 294 and 348 shares, respectively, at about $165.49. The filings state the sales were intended to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, and each executive retained a substantial position, reducing—but not eliminating—the negative signal. SEC insider transaction filings
• Negative Sentiment: Quiver data shows 87 insider sales and no purchases over the past six months. Combined with ongoing losses and a stock price well above many analyst targets, the pattern may weigh on momentum and valuation-sensitive investors.

About Twist Bioscience

Twist Bioscience Corporation is a biotechnology company that develops and manufactures synthetic DNA using a proprietary silicon-based platform. The company serves researchers and organizations in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, agriculture, industrial chemicals and academic research.

Its products include synthetic genes, gene fragments, oligonucleotides and DNA libraries used in research, drug discovery, diagnostics development and other applications. Twist also provides next-generation sequencing tools and products, including target-enrichment and sample-preparation solutions, as well as synthetic biology services that support the design and testing of biological systems.

Twist was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in South San Francisco, California.