Emily M. Leproust, Chief Executive Officer of Twist Bioscience Corp (NASDAQ:TWST), executed a sale of 1,688 shares of the company's common stock on June 22, 2026. The transaction occurred at a price of $87.32 per share, resulting in total proceeds of approximately $147,400. This activity was classified as a "sell to cover" event, indicating that the shares were liquidated specifically to satisfy tax withholding requirements associated with the vesting of Restricted Stock Units. Such transactions are mandated by the company's equity incentive plans and do not reflect discretionary trading decisions by Ms. Leproust.
Following this transaction, Ms. Leproust retains direct ownership of 842,919 shares of Twist Bioscience common stock. The stock has demonstrated significant momentum, climbing to $91.35 and trading near its 52-week high of $89.71. According to InvestingPro data, Twist Bioscience has delivered a remarkable 168% return year-to-date, though the stock appears overvalued based on Fair Value analysis. The transaction was disclosed in a Form 4 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 24, 2026.
Additionally, Ms. Leproust holds several employee stock options, including grants expiring in 2025, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030, with varying exercise prices and share quantities. Options to acquire shares at an exercise price of $5.95, expiring on September 28, 2025, have 0 shares remaining following the reporting period. Options to acquire 75,439 shares at an exercise price of $8.82 expire on September 28, 2027. Options to acquire 266,539 shares at an exercise price of $26.66 expire on November 18, 2028. Options to acquire 131,290 shares at an exercise price of $23.33 expire on October 23, 2029. Performance stock options to acquire 64,950 shares at an exercise price of $67.85 vested on December 19, 2022, and expire on August 31, 2030.
In recent analyst updates, TD Cowen raised its price target to $89, citing the company's ability to meet growing AI-driven wet lab and data demands. Piper Sandler initiated coverage with an overweight rating and a price target of $85, highlighting Twist's position in DNA synthesis infrastructure. Canaccord Genuity also initiated coverage with a buy rating and a price target of $90, focusing on the company's innovative silicon-based miniaturized lab-on-a-chip method. Furthermore, Leerink raised its price target to $80 from $70, maintaining an Outperform rating, after the company's Investor Day revealed expectations for revenue to reach approximately $1 billion by fiscal year 2031. This projection indicates a compound annual growth rate exceeding 16%. In an earlier update, TD Cowen increased its price target to $68 following Twist Bioscience's second-quarter revenue beat, with total revenues of $111 million, reflecting 19% year-over-year growth and surpassing the consensus estimate of $108 million. These developments underscore the positive sentiment among analysts regarding Twist Bioscience's strategic positioning and growth potential.