Twist Bioscience Corp

Biotech stocks reached their highest level since the height of the pandemic after Moderna and Merck announced that a late-stage trial testing their messenger RNA-based cancer therapy met its main goals. Healthcare became the best-performing sector in the S&P 500, with the State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF adding more than 4% to reach its highest level since February 2021. The individualized neoantigen therapy intismeran autogene, combined with Merck's Keytruda, improved recurrence-free survival with a statistically significant and clinically meaningful effect in the Phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial. Moderna shares more than doubled, Merck added over 12%, and rival vaccine makers BioNTech and Novavax also gained sharply. Gene editing companies including Prime Medicine, Intellia, CRISPR, Editas Medicine, and Beam Therapeutics were notable gainers, while AI-related biotechs Absci and Recursion Pharmaceuticals rallied after Anthropic selected Twist Bioscience as an independent evaluator.

Twist Bioscience raised its fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $456 million to $457 million after reporting a 23% year-over-year increase in fiscal third-quarter revenue to $118.4 million. DNA Synthesis and Protein Solutions revenue rose 39% to $56.6 million, while NGS Applications revenue increased 12% to approximately $61.8 million. The company said AI-enabled drug discovery is becoming a major growth driver, with management expressing confidence in achieving at least triple-digit order growth in both fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027. Gross margin improved to 52.8%, and Twist reiterated its expectation to reach adjusted EBITDA breakeven in the fiscal fourth quarter. The company also launched its Complex Genes offering after early-access customers ordered more than 1,800 constructs.

Twist Bioscience shares surged 116% after the company reported results well ahead of expectations, supported by strength in DNA synthesis and protein solutions, improving demand for next-generation sequencing, and guidance calling for continued momentum. Management reaffirmed its expectation of reaching adjusted EBITDA breakeven in fiscal Q4 2026. Investor enthusiasm increased following the company's analyst day, where management highlighted Twist's positioning as a beneficiary of AI-enabled drug discovery and growing demand for DNA synthesis and data generation. Artisan Small Cap Fund trimmed its position following the stock's strong appreciation, consistent with its position-sizing discipline.

Five biotech stocks profiled by RTTNews reached new 52-week highs last week, with gains ranging from 105% to 235% since their respective publication dates. Twist Bioscience soared 235% to a high of $104.23, driven by strong revenue and an upcoming quarterly report. Biodesix climbed 124% to $23.34 following better-than-expected results, raised guidance, and positive clinical validation data. Mirum Pharmaceuticals rose 133% to $124.44 on consistent revenue growth, the Bluejay Therapeutics acquisition, and positive trial results for Brelovitug and Volixibat. Candel Therapeutics advanced 108% to $9.99 after extended survival data for Aglatimagene and a commercialization agreement with EVERSANA. Indivior Pharmaceuticals gained 105% to $42.81, supported by solid earnings, upbeat guidance, and real-world evidence favoring Sublocade.

Bernstein resumed coverage of Thermo Fisher Scientific with a Market Perform rating and a $520 price target, noting improvements in the life science tools and diagnostics sector. The firm highlighted that new drug approvals, clinical trial starts, and funding have all increased over the past 12 months, and it expects stronger funding to translate into higher customer spending. Bernstein also pointed to re-shoring efforts and AI-driven demand for semiconductor-related tools as additional growth drivers. Earlier in June, Piper Sandler initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a $510 price target, taking a cautious stance on the sector and recommending only Twist Bioscience due to its exposure to next-generation drug discovery.

Osterweis Opportunity Fund named Twist Bioscience Corporation a top contributor in its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, citing new business from technology companies building genomic databases for large language AI models. Twist Bioscience, a synthetic DNA manufacturer, closed at $87.56 per share on June 18, 2026, with a one-month return of 44.56% and a 52-week gain of 152.77%, giving it a market capitalization of $5.45 billion. The fund noted Twist is well positioned in the expanding liquid biopsy field and is being used as an outsourced wet lab by tech firms, a growth area that partly drove the strong quarterly performance. Total revenue rose to $110.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, up over 19% year-over-year. Hedge fund ownership increased to 30 portfolios at quarter-end from 24 in the prior quarter.

Eli Lilly and Twist Bioscience are leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate real-world drug development, with Lilly collaborating with OpenAI and Nvidia on drug discovery and Twist serving as a key lab partner in Amazon's new AI-driven Bio Discovery platform. Lilly shares trade near $1,120, up 36% over the past year, after first-quarter 2026 revenue surged 56% to $19.8 billion and net income climbed 168% to $7.4 billion, while its newly approved weight-loss pill Foundayo could expand its patient base. Twist Bioscience stock has risen more than 136% in the past year to about $83, though its fiscal second-quarter 2026 net loss widened to $44 million from $39.3 million a year earlier despite a 19% revenue increase to $110.7 million. The next wave of medical AI may reward companies that apply AI tools in clinics and labs rather than those that merely supply the technology.