Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) Stock: Insider Adam Laponis Sells 8,057 Shares

Key Points

• CFO Adam Laponis sold 8,057 Twist Bioscience shares for approximately $1.52 million at an average price of $188.88, reducing his position by 7.42%. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations tied to vested equity awards.
• Twist shares recently traded near a 52-week high at $205, with a market capitalization of about $12.86 billion. Despite strong momentum and 23.2% year-over-year revenue growth, the company remains unprofitable and its latest quarterly EPS missed analyst expectations.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy,” although the average price target of $115.27 is well below the recent share price, highlighting valuation and volatility risks.

Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST - Get Free Report) CFO Adam Laponis sold 8,057 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.88, for a total transaction of $1,521,806.16. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 100,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,996,794.88. This represents a 7.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Adam Laponis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, July 9th, Adam Laponis sold 2,399 shares of Twist Bioscience stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.33, for a total transaction of $226,297.67.

Twist Bioscience Stock Performance

Twist Bioscience stock traded up $16.33 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $205.00. The company had a trading volume of 3,203,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,622,926. The firm has a market cap of $12.86 billion, a PE ratio of -92.34 and a beta of 2.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 2.38. Twist Bioscience Corporation has a one year low of $23.30 and a one year high of $207.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $136.40 and a 200 day moving average of $92.42.

Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $118.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $114.55 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.33 EPS. The company's revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Twist Bioscience Corporation will post -2.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on TWST. UBS Group started coverage on Twist Bioscience in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Twist Bioscience from $65.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Twist Bioscience from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Twist Bioscience in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Evercore downgraded shares of Twist Bioscience from an "outperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and set a $102.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, July 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Twist Bioscience currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $115.27.

Key Twist Bioscience News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Twist Bioscience reported approximately 23% year-over-year revenue growth in its latest quarter, reinforcing the company’s expansion narrative and helping support bullish sentiment. Twist Bioscience stock reports 23 percent revenue growth
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink raised its price target for TWST from $120 to $160, signaling improved analyst expectations. Although the revised target remains below the recent share price, the increase may have added to buying momentum. Leerink raises target for Twist Bioscience stock
• Positive Sentiment: The stock reached a new 52-week high, reflecting strong momentum and investor demand. TWST has benefited from enthusiasm around biotechnology and synthetic-DNA markets, as well as attention from actively managed biotech funds. Twist Bioscience reaches new 52-week high
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Emily Leproust, CFO Adam Laponis, CAO Robert Werner, SVP Paula Green and insider Dennis Cho sold shares primarily to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards. The transactions totaled roughly $14.3 million, but the CEO’s sales were conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, reducing their usefulness as a signal of deteriorating business prospects. Twist Bioscience insider transaction filing
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and profitability remain risks: the company continues to report net losses, and its latest quarterly earnings per share missed estimates despite beating revenue expectations. The sharp rally also leaves the stock well above Leerink’s revised target, increasing the potential for volatility or profit-taking.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Twist Bioscience

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TWST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Twist Bioscience during the 2nd quarter worth $600,191,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Twist Bioscience in the second quarter worth $223,722,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Twist Bioscience in the second quarter valued at about $94,922,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Twist Bioscience during the first quarter worth about $22,563,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Twist Bioscience by 242.2% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 415,609 shares of the company's stock worth $13,183,000 after purchasing an additional 294,144 shares during the period.

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.

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