Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) Earns Neutral Rating from Analysts at UBS Group

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Twist Bioscience (NASDAQ:TWST) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued a neutral rating and a $144.00 target price on the stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Twist Bioscience in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Guggenheim reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Twist Bioscience in a report on Monday, August 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Twist Bioscience from $65.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Twist Bioscience in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Twist Bioscience from $85.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Eight equities research 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 currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $98.45.

Twist Bioscience Stock Performance

TWST opened at $127.22 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $113.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $79.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 2.38. The company has a market capitalization of $7.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -57.31 and a beta of 2.22. Twist Bioscience has a 1-year low of $23.30 and a 1-year high of $155.44.

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

Insider Activity

In other Twist Bioscience news, CFO Adam Laponis sold 2,399 shares of Twist Bioscience stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.33, for a total transaction of $226,297.67. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 110,276 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,402,335.08. The trade was a 2.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Dennis Cho sold 412 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $122.62, for a total transaction of $50,519.44. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 73,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,031,085.62. This trade represents a 0.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 193,109 shares of company stock worth $24,049,024 over the last three months. 3.08% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Twist Bioscience

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TWST. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Twist Bioscience during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Western Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Twist Bioscience in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Twist Bioscience during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Strategic Advocates LLC boosted its position in Twist Bioscience by 562.7% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC now owns 1,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 906 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Twist Bioscience by 68.9% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 571 shares in the last quarter.

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.