Insider Trading March 19, 2026

Twist Bioscience Director Executes $470,000 Stock Sale, Exercises Options Same Day

Director Robert Chess sold shares at a premium amid a recent rally; company reported mixed Q1 FY2026 results and announced a new licensing deal

By Avery Klein TWST
Twist Bioscience Director Executes $470,000 Stock Sale, Exercises Options Same Day
TWST

Director Robert Chess sold 10,000 shares of Twist Bioscience Corp on March 17, 2026, for $470,000, and on the same day exercised options to acquire 10,000 additional shares at $11.89 each. The sale price of $47 represented a premium to the then-current quoted stock price of $44.89 and followed a roughly 59% gain in the shares over the prior six months. Twist reported Q1 FY2026 revenue that beat expectations but posted an EPS shortfall, and disclosed a licensing agreement that expands its antibody discovery offerings. Shareholders approved director elections and executive compensation at the 2026 Annual Meeting with about 91.81% participation.

Key Points

  • Director Robert Chess sold 10,000 Twist Bioscience shares on March 17, 2026, for $470,000 at $47 per share, above the quoted $44.89 stock price.
  • On the same day Chess exercised options to buy 10,000 shares at $11.89, for $118,900 total; post-transactions he directly owns 21,084 shares and indirectly owns 42,528 shares via the Chess 1997 Trust.
  • Twist reported Q1 FY2026 revenue of $103.7 million (2.96% above estimates), an EPS miss at -$0.50 versus -$0.43 expected, entered a licensing deal with Invenra for the B-Body bispecific platform, and saw shareholder approval of director elections and executive compensation with ~91.81% participation.

Summary

On March 17, 2026, Robert Chess, a director at Twist Bioscience Corp (NASDAQ:TWST), sold 10,000 shares of the company’s common stock for total proceeds of $470,000. The shares were disposed of at $47 per share, a figure that the report notes was above the contemporaneous quoted stock price of $44.89. That disposal followed a six-month period during which Twist shares rose by roughly 59%.

Details of the transactions

In addition to the sale, Chess exercised stock options on the same date to purchase 10,000 shares at an exercise price of $11.89 per share. The exercise carried a notional cost of $118,900. Collectively, these moves altered Chess’s immediate holdings: he now directly holds 21,084 shares of Twist Bioscience common stock, and he maintains indirect ownership of 42,528 shares through the Chess 1997 Trust.

According to the filing, both the sale and the option exercise were completed pursuant to a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that Chess adopted on December 10, 2025.

Company financial and strategic developments

Twist Bioscience reported results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 that showed revenue of $103.7 million, a figure that topped analyst expectations by 2.96%. The company’s earnings per share, however, missed projections, with reported EPS of -$0.50 versus an anticipated -$0.43.

Separately, Twist entered into a licensing agreement with Invenra Inc. covering the B-Body bispecific antibody platform. Under the terms disclosed, Twist becomes a co-exclusive provider of that technology, a move the company said will broaden its antibody discovery services.

Governance and shareholder actions

At the 2026 Annual Meeting, shareholders voted to approve director elections and executive compensation. The company reported that holders representing approximately 91.81% of outstanding shares participated in the vote.

Context and note

The filings and company disclosures provide the transactional details and the corporate updates summarized above. No additional causes, motivations, or prospective outcomes are offered in the disclosures themselves.


Reported figures and dates are drawn from company filings and disclosures referenced in the report.

Risks

  • Earnings per share for Q1 FY2026 missed analyst expectations, indicating near-term profitability challenges that could affect investor sentiment in the biotechnology and life sciences sectors.
  • Insider share sales, even when executed under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, can be perceived by market participants in various ways and may influence trading dynamics for the stock in the short term.
  • Shareholder votes and corporate governance outcomes depend on participation; while approximately 91.81% of shares participated in the 2026 Annual Meeting, any future governance disputes or compensation debates could affect investor perceptions in the broader biotech market.

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