Twist Bioscience Raises Fiscal 2026 Guidance as AI-Enabled Drug Discovery Demand Surges
核心洞察
Twist Bioscience reported fiscal Q3 2026 revenue of $118.38 million, up 23% year-over-year and beating consensus estimates.
The company raised full-year fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $456–$457 million and expects to achieve adjusted EBITDA breakeven in fiscal Q4 2026.
CEO Emily Leproust (搜索) highlighted a rapidly expanding AI-enabled drug discovery pipeline, with potential for triple-digit percentage order growth in fiscal 2027.
Twist Bioscience Corporation (搜索) (NASDAQ:TWST) delivered fiscal third-quarter 2026 results that exceeded revenue expectations and prompted an upward revision to its full-year guidance, driven by accelerating demand for DNA synthesis and an expanding pipeline of AI-enabled drug discovery opportunities. The company reported total revenue of $118.38 million for the quarter, a 23% increase year-over-year, surpassing both the consensus estimate of $114.49 million and management's own guidance range of $114 million to $115 million.
Shares of Twist Bioscience rose 8.55% to $99.30 following the announcement, reflecting investor confidence in the company's trajectory toward profitability and its strategic positioning at the intersection of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence.
Financial Performance and Path to Profitability
The company posted an adjusted loss of $0.56 per share, which fell short of the consensus estimate of a $0.50 loss. Despite the earnings miss, the revenue beat and raised guidance dominated investor sentiment. Twist Bioscience raised its fiscal 2026 full-year sales guidance from a prior range of $442 million–$447 million to $456 million–$457 million, well above the consensus of $446.10 million. For the fiscal fourth quarter, the company forecasts revenue of $123 million–$124 million, compared to the consensus of $117.55 million.
Gross margin for fiscal 2026 is expected to exceed 52%, underscoring improving operational efficiency. Emily Leproust (搜索), CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, emphasized the significance of the company's near-term financial milestone: "Well into our final quarter of the fiscal year, we remain confident in our trajectory and continue to expect to achieve adjusted EBITDA breakeven this quarter. That milestone is not the destination. It's the foundation for delivering disciplined execution and profitable growth as we move through fiscal 2027."
Segment Strength: DNA Synthesis and NGS
Revenue growth was broad-based across the company's core business lines. DNA Synthesis and Protein Solutions (DSPS) revenue grew 39% year-over-year to $56.6 million, while NGS Applications revenue increased 12% to $61.8 million. The company shipped products to approximately 2,650 customers during the third quarter, up from approximately 2,480 in the same period a year ago. Twist Bioscience physically shipped approximately 369,000 genes in the quarter, with consecutive quarter-over-quarter growth in genes manufactured for data characterization, compared with approximately 237,000 genes a year ago.
AI-Enabled Drug Discovery: A Rapidly Expanding Opportunity
During the investor earnings call, Leproust highlighted the accelerating momentum in AI-enabled drug discovery as a key growth catalyst. "Our funnel of opportunities continues to expand meaningfully, and we believe that we have the potential to again post triple-digit percentage order growth for AI-enabled drug discovery in fiscal 2027 when compared to fiscal 2026," she stated.
This outlook builds on the enthusiasm generated at the company's analyst day, where management positioned Twist Bioscience as a direct beneficiary of growing demand for DNA synthesis and data generation driven by AI-enabled drug discovery platforms. The company's proprietary silicon-based DNA writing platform serves applications across drug discovery, diagnostics, agriculture, and industrial materials, with synthetic biology increasingly recognized as a critical input for AI-driven therapeutic development.
Market Context
Twist Bioscience shares have gained 154.15% over the past 52 weeks, with a trading range between $23.30 and $105.47. The company's market capitalization stands at approximately $5.76 billion. The stock's strong performance reflects both operational execution and growing investor recognition of the company's role in the AI-driven transformation of pharmaceutical research and development. Artisan Small Cap Fund, which holds Twist Bioscience as a portfolio position, noted that shares rose 116% after the company reported results "well ahead of expectations," citing strength in DNA synthesis and protein solutions, improving demand for next-generation sequencing, and guidance calling for continued momentum.