Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) Insider Dennis Cho Sells 949 Shares of Stock

Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) insider Dennis Cho sold 949 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.40, for a total value of $128,494.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 62,840 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,508,536. This represents a 1.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Dennis Cho also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, October 2nd, Dennis Cho sold 9,514 shares of Twist Bioscience stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.88, for a total value of $1,797,004.32.
• On Monday, September 21st, Dennis Cho sold 348 shares of Twist Bioscience stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.49, for a total value of $57,590.52.
• On Tuesday, September 8th, Dennis Cho sold 412 shares of Twist Bioscience stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.62, for a total value of $50,519.44.

Twist Bioscience Trading Down 15.4%

Shares of Twist Bioscience stock opened at $120.61 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.67. Twist Bioscience Corporation has a 52 week low of $23.30 and a 52 week high of $219.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $152.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $90.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a PE ratio of -54.33 and a beta of 2.25.

Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) last issued its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $118.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $114.55 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.33 earnings per share. Twist Bioscience’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Twist Bioscience Corporation will post -2.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on TWST. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Twist Bioscience from $112.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Twist Bioscience in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $144.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Twist Bioscience from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Twist Bioscience from $107.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Twist Bioscience in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $153.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of TWST. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Twist Bioscience during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Twist Bioscience by 94.3% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 548 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP bought a new stake in Twist Bioscience during the second quarter worth $62,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Twist Bioscience in the 2nd quarter valued at $63,000. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Twist Bioscience in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000.

Key Stories Impacting Twist Bioscience

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

• Positive Sentiment: Twist Bioscience has launched MRD Express, a development that could support its presence in the minimal residual disease testing market. The article also notes the stock is entering earnings week, when investors may look for updates on the product and business outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate analysis describes an “undervalued” investment narrative but flags the company’s sales valuation as expensive, presenting a mixed view rather than a clear near-term catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Four executives and insiders, including CEO Emily M. Leproust, sold a combined 6,677 shares at $135.40. The transactions were reported as covering tax withholding obligations related to equity-award vesting, which makes them less indicative of discretionary selling.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares fell amid a negative report from The Bear Cave/Hunterbrook. The available headline does not detail the report’s claims, but the coverage appears to have weighed on investor sentiment. Read More.

About Twist Bioscience

Twist Bioscience Corporation is a biotechnology company that develops and manufactures synthetic DNA and related products for life sciences research. The company uses a proprietary silicon-based platform to produce high-quality DNA at scale, supporting applications in synthetic biology, drug discovery and development, agriculture, and academic and industrial research.

Its offerings include synthetic genes, oligonucleotides, gene fragments, variant libraries, and antibody discovery products.