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We recently compiled a list of the 7 Most Promising Gene Editing Stocks According to Analysts. Twist Biosciences Corporation is one of the most promising stocks on our list. TheFly reported on December 15 that Barclays raised its price target for TWST from $37 to $39 while maintaining an Overweight rating, reflecting confidence in the company’s margin progress and anticipated performance in the life sciences tools sector. This follows an Overweight initiation on November 3, 2025, by Stephens with a $41 p ...

Group 1 - Twist Bioscience's revenue growth is moderating due to macro headwinds and temporary factors affecting growth [1] - Narweena, an asset manager, focuses on identifying market dislocations and businesses with long-term growth opportunities [1] - The investment strategy emphasizes smaller cap stocks and markets with less obvious competitive advantages [1] Group 2 - An aging population and low population growth are expected to create new investment opportunities, contrasting with past trends [1] - Many industries may experience stagnation or secular decline, potentially improving business performance due to reduced competition [1] - The economy is increasingly dominated by asset-light businesses, leading to a decline in infrastructure investment needs [1]

Group 1 - Twist Bioscience's revenue growth is moderating due to macro headwinds and temporary factors affecting growth [1] - Narweena, an asset manager, focuses on identifying market dislocations and businesses with long-term growth opportunities [1] - The investment strategy emphasizes smaller cap stocks and markets with less obvious competitive advantages [1] Group 2 - The aging population and low population growth are expected to create new investment opportunities distinct from past trends [1] - Many industries may experience stagnation or secular decline, potentially improving business performance due to reduced competition [1] - The economy is increasingly dominated by asset-light businesses, leading to a decline in infrastructure investment needs [1]

Core Insights - Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) is recognized as a leading gene-editing stock by hedge funds, with an Overweight rating and a price target of $41 assigned by analyst Steven Etoch from Stephens [1][2] - The company's DNA synthesis platform, which utilizes silicon chip technology, provides advantages in cost, speed, and scalability, serving markets such as drug discovery, next-generation sequencing (NGS), and synthetic biology [1][4] Financial Performance - Twist has experienced strong revenue growth of 22.7% over the past year, with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 42% [2] - The company is expected to reach adjusted EBITDA break-even by the end of fiscal year 2026 [2] Market Opportunities - NGS is identified as a significant growth opportunity, particularly in applications like liquid biopsy and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring [3] - Expansion into adjacent markets is seen as a strategy for strengthening customer relationships [3]

Summary of Twist Bioscience Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Twist Bioscience (NasdaqGS:TWST) - **Industry**: Biotechnology, specifically focusing on DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis - **Key Customers**: Academic researchers, clinical diagnostic companies, biopharmaceutical companies, industrial chemical companies [1][2] Financial Performance - **Q4 Revenue**: $99 million - **Annual Revenue**: $376.6 million - **Guidance Exceeded**: Exceeded initial guidance by approximately $7 million despite a challenging economic environment [8][9] - **Gross Margin Improvement**: Increased by 20 percentage points over the last two years, now above 50% [9] - **Agility Beta Break-Even**: Projected to reach break-even by Q4 2026, with a loss of $8 million in the last quarter [9][10] Market Dynamics - **Stock Performance**: Despite strong quarterly updates, the stock is down over 40% year-to-date, indicating a disconnect between market perception and company performance [2][3] - **NGS Segment**: - Revenue of $208 million last year, accounting for about 55% of total sales, with over 20% year-over-year growth. - Guidance for fiscal 2026 implies about 12% growth [25][29] - Addressable market for MRD liquid biopsy estimated at $2.2 billion [25] - Overall NGS opportunity estimated at $3 billion with less than 10% market share [29] Customer Dynamics - **Key Customer Transition**: One significant NGS customer transitioning from clinical trials to commercial ramp, causing short-term revenue fluctuations [10][34] - **Volume Growth**: Excluding the impact of the key customer, the business is growing at approximately 20% [34][36] Strategic Insights - **R&D Focus**: Shifted from gross margin optimization to revenue growth, with flat operating expenses from 2022 to 2025 while growing revenue by 85% [16][17] - **Market Adaptability**: The company is positioned to pivot based on market dynamics, with a blended R&D approach across segments [20][23] - **Emerging Opportunities**: Identified new revenue streams from AI companies, with over $25 million in order growth anticipated from 2024 to 2025 [21][22] Pricing and Sales Strategy - **Pricing Dynamics**: Average Selling Price (ASP) decreased by 11% in Q4, attributed to increased volume in therapeutics and competitive pricing strategies [53][55] - **Pharma Orders**: Significant pharma orders in Q4 are expected to provide visibility and revenue growth in the first half of the fiscal year [56][57] Future Outlook - **Growth Potential**: The company aims to leverage its technology and market position to explore new revenue opportunities, with a focus on maintaining a competitive edge in both NGS and DNA synthesis segments [20][24] - **Long-term Vision**: Emphasis on adaptability and customer proximity to capitalize on emerging market trends and demands [23][24] Conclusion - Twist Bioscience demonstrates strong financial performance and growth potential despite market challenges. The company is strategically positioned to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the biotechnology sector while addressing short-term customer dynamics and pricing strategies.

Summary of Twist Bioscience Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Twist Bioscience (NasdaqGS:TWST) - **Industry**: Biotechnology, specifically focusing on DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis - **Key Customers**: Academic researchers, clinical diagnostic companies, biopharmaceutical companies, industrial chemical companies [1][2] Financial Performance - **Q4 Revenue**: $99 million - **Annual Revenue**: $376.6 million - **Guidance Exceeded**: Exceeded initial guidance by approximately $7 million despite a challenging economic environment [8][9] - **Gross Margin Improvement**: Increased by 20 percentage points over the last two years, now above 50% [9] - **Adjusted EBITDA**: Loss of $8 million in Q4, with a target to reach break-even by Q4 2026 [9][10] Market Dynamics - **Stock Performance**: Despite strong financial results, the stock is down over 40% year-to-date, indicating a disconnect between market perception and company performance [2][3] - **NGS Segment**: - Revenue of $208 million last year, accounting for about 55% of total sales, with over 20% year-over-year growth. - Guidance for fiscal 2026 implies about 12% growth [25][29] - Addressable market for MRD liquid biopsy estimated at $2.2 billion [25] - Overall NGS opportunity estimated at $3 billion with less than 10% market share [29] Customer Dynamics - **Key Customer Transition**: One significant NGS customer transitioning from clinical trials to commercial ramp, causing short-term revenue fluctuations [10][34] - **Growth Outside Diagnostics**: Strong performance in microarray conversion and new sequencer offerings [34][35] Strategic Insights - **R&D Focus**: Shifted from gross margin optimization to revenue growth, with a flat OPEX from 2022 to 2025 while growing revenue by 85% [16][17] - **Market Adaptability**: The company is positioned to pivot based on market dynamics, with a blended R&D approach across segments [20][23] - **Emerging Opportunities**: New revenue streams from AI-related services and antibody discovery, with significant order growth anticipated [21][22] Pricing and Volume Trends - **ASP Dynamics**: Average Selling Price (ASP) decreased by 11% in Q4, attributed to increased volume in therapeutics and competitive pricing strategies [53][55] - **Pharma Orders**: A record pharma order in Q4 is expected to provide visibility and revenue ramp in the first half of the year [56][57] Future Outlook - **Growth Projections**: The company aims for continued growth in both NGS and DNA synthesis/protein solutions, with potential for new revenue streams emerging from evolving market needs [19][20][22] - **Long-term Strategy**: Focus on maintaining high gross margins while pursuing aggressive growth strategies across various segments [18][24] Conclusion - Twist Bioscience is navigating a complex market landscape with strong financial performance and strategic adaptability. The company is poised for growth, leveraging its technological advantages and expanding into new market opportunities while addressing short-term challenges related to customer transitions and market perceptions.

Industry Overview - Genetic manipulation, or gene editing, involves altering the genetic material (DNA) of organisms, which gained traction in the 1970s with the creation of recombinant DNA (rDNA) molecules and saw significant commercialization growth with the introduction of the CRISPR-Cas9 system in the 2010s [2][3] - The CRISPR ecosystem currently has 1,031 active companies, with 298 raising approximately $35.8 billion across over 1,200 funding rounds, and the industry is projected to reach a size of $10.8 billion by the end of 2025, expanding at a 16.9% CAGR to nearly $24 billion by 2030 [3] Investment Insights - Hedge funds are showing high interest in gene editing stocks, with notable investments such as BlackRock acquiring over 980,000 additional shares in a leading gene editing company in Q3 2025 [5] - The methodology for identifying the best gene-editing stocks involved reviewing sector exposure through ETF holdings and media coverage, focusing on companies developing and commercializing gene-editing technologies, resulting in a list of nine firms with strong hedge fund support [7] Company Highlights Editas Medicine Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT) - Editas Medicine is recognized as a top gene-editing stock, with 11 hedge fund holders, and has a price target raised to $4.60 from $4.00 by Clear Street, which noted the company's extended cash runway into Q3 2027 [9][10] - The company reported Q3 2025 results with an EPS of –$0.28 and revenues increasing to $7.5 million from $0.1 million in Q3 2024, driven by collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb [11] - Editas is focused on developing transformative in vivo therapies using CRISPR technology, with plans to file for IND/CTA by mid-2026 and achieve human proof-of-concept data by year-end 2026 [12] Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) - Twist Bioscience has 23 hedge fund holders and received an Overweight rating with a $41 price target from analyst Steven Etoch, who highlighted its differentiated DNA synthesis platform [13][14] - The company has experienced strong revenue growth of 22.7% over the past year and a five-year CAGR of 42%, with expectations to reach adjusted EBITDA break-even by the end of fiscal year 2026 [14] - Twist's proprietary silicon-based platform enables rapid gene synthesis for applications in drug discovery, diagnostics, and precision medicine, strengthening its market position [16]

Core Insights - Artisan Partners' "Artisan Small Cap Fund" reported strong performance in Q3 2025, with major US indices reaching record highs and the fund's Investor Class returning 8.69% [1] - Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ:TWST) was highlighted as a detractor in the fund's performance, with a one-month return of -20.34% and a 52-week loss of 37.05% [2][3] Fund Performance - The Artisan Small Cap Fund's Advisor Class fund returned 8.75%, and the Institutional Class fund returned 8.73%, while the Russell 2000 Growth Index returned 12.19% [1] - The fund's top 5 holdings were mentioned as key picks for 2025 [1] Company Analysis: Twist Bioscience Corporation - Twist Bioscience reported 18% revenue growth, driven by demand in next-generation sequencing, despite weaker sales in synthetic biology products [3] - The company has a market capitalization of $1.58 billion, with shares closing at $26.87 on November 14, 2025 [2] - The partnership with Veracyte is viewed as a validation of Twist's platform, potentially driving long-term upside [3] Hedge Fund Interest - Twist Bioscience was held by 23 hedge fund portfolios at the end of Q2 2025, a decrease from 30 in the previous quarter [4] - The company reported revenue of $99 million in Q4 2025, reflecting a 17% year-over-year growth [4]

Core Insights - Twist Bioscience (TWST) stock has experienced a significant decline of 10.1% in one day, raising concerns about potential deeper issues beyond temporary weakness [2] - The company is valued at $1.6 billion with a revenue of $362 million, and its stock is currently trading at $26.87 [2] - Revenue growth over the past year is reported at 22.7%, but the operating margin stands at -39.3% [2] - The stock is trading at a P/E multiple of -18.9 and a P/EBIT multiple of -9.5, indicating moderate operational performance and valuation, leading to it being considered fairly priced [3] Financial Position - The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05 and a cash-to-assets ratio of 0.39, suggesting a strong liquidity position [2] - TWST stock has historically underperformed compared to the S&P 500 during economic downturns, with a notable decline of 94.5% from its peak of $207.97 on January 20, 2021, to $11.49 on May 2, 2023 [7] - The stock has not yet returned to its pre-crisis high, with the highest price since then being $58.88 on July 23, 2024 [7] Market Performance - The stock dropped 43.9% from a high of $35.15 on March 6, 2020, to $19.71 on March 18, 2020, compared to a 33.9% decline for the S&P 500 [7] - In December 2018, TWST stock declined by 47.6% from a peak of $31.08 to $16.30, while the S&P 500 experienced a peak-to-trough decline of 19.8% [8] - Despite these declines, the stock has shown the ability to fully rebound to its pre-crisis peaks in previous instances [8]