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Twist Bioscience Stock Jumps As Lilly AI Deal Fuels Growth Story

TIM BOHEN•UPDATED SEP. 17, 2026, 3:03 PM ET
Reviewed by Ben Sturgilland Fact-checked by Ellis Hobbs

Twist Bioscience Corporation stocks have been trading up by 9.94 percent after upbeat coverage highlighting its synthetic DNA growth prospects.

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Key Takeaways

  • A new agreement plugs Twist Bioscience antibody characterization data into Eli Lilly’s TuneLab AI/ML drug discovery platform, creating a direct channel for ordering TWST antibody services.
  • Shares of TWST climbed roughly 1.5%–4%+ after the Lilly TuneLab news, signaling traders’ appetite for AI-enabled pharma collaborations.
  • Q3 FY26 revenue reached $118.4M, up more than 23% year over year, marking TWST’s 14th straight growth quarter and lifting gross margin to 52.8%.
  • Full-year FY26 revenue guidance was raised to $456–$457M, with Twist Bioscience still targeting adjusted EBITDA breakeven in Q4 FY26.
  • UBS started coverage of TWST with a Neutral rating but a high $144 target, versus a current mean target around $87.56, while the Street keeps an average Buy stance.

Candlestick Chart

Live Update At 15:03:04 EDT: On Thursday, September 17, 2026 Twist Bioscience Corporation stock [NASDAQ: TWST] is trending up by 9.94%! Discover the key drivers behind this movement as well as our expert analysis in the detailed breakdown below.

Quick Financial Overview

Twist Bioscience, ticker TWST, is moving from story stock toward numbers that serious traders track. In Q3 FY26, Twist Bioscience printed $118.4M in revenue, growing more than 23% year over year. That is not a one-off spike. It is the 14th straight quarter of growth, which tells traders this is a real trend, not just hype.

Gross margin hit 52.8%, a solid level for a synthetic DNA and tools “picks-and-shovels” player. TWST is still losing money, with negative EBIT margins and returns, but the direction is what matters here. Management raised full-year revenue guidance to $456–$457M and reaffirmed a goal of adjusted EBITDA breakeven in Q4 FY26. That puts a potential profitability inflection within sight on most trading time frames.

More Breaking News

On the balance sheet, Twist Bioscience carries modest leverage, with total debt to equity around 0.24 and a current ratio of 2.7. Cash and short-term investments sit near $166.8M, giving TWST room to keep funding growth. For traders, this looks like a classic high-valuation, high-growth setup: price-to-sales above 20, still-unprofitable, but with operating leverage starting to show.

Why Traders Are Watching TWST After The Lilly Deal

What really lit a fire under Twist Bioscience this week was the Lilly TuneLab agreement. The company signed on to provide antibody characterization data and services directly into Eli Lilly’s AI/ML drug discovery platform. In simple terms, TWST will run wet-lab experiments, measure how antibodies behave, and feed that high-quality data straight into Lilly’s AI models like AbLab.

The market reaction was fast. TWST shares jumped, with multiple reports pointing to gains from about 1.5% to more than 4% intraday after the news crossed. That tells traders two things. First, the desk is now treating Twist Bioscience as part of the AI-in-pharma theme, not just another tools name. Second, blue-chip validation from Eli Lilly can support a richer multiple for TWST when the tape is in risk-on mode.

This agreement also fits neatly with the Q3 FY26 story. Twist Bioscience is already raising guidance and closing in on adjusted EBITDA breakeven. Layer on a branded AI collaboration with Lilly, and traders see a pipeline for recurring, high-value data services revenue. It is not just DNA synthesis anymore; it is data plus AI workflows.

At the same time, management has tried to keep expectations grounded. Twist Bioscience confirmed that pilot work on AI-designed mini-binder proteins for Anthropic is “probably sort of” already baked into its fiscal 2027 orders outlook. For TWST traders, that means the Anthropic angle is real technology validation, but not hidden upside to current guidance.

UBS stepping in with coverage adds another layer. The firm tagged TWST with a Neutral rating but a lofty $144 price target, well above the current analyst mean near $87.56. That combo tells traders valuation is a debate, not a disaster. The Street largely sees long-term runway; the argument is about how much to pay today.

Conclusion

For active traders, Twist Bioscience now sits at the crossroads of three hot narratives: AI-driven drug discovery, “picks-and-shovels” biotech tools, and a coming profitability turn. TWST has delivered 14 consecutive growth quarters, is running north of 50% gross margins, and has raised guidance while still targeting adjusted EBITDA breakeven in Q4 FY26. The Lilly TuneLab deal adds brand-name confirmation that Twist Bioscience’s antibody and data engines matter in real-world pharma pipelines.

The tape backs that up. After the Lilly news, TWST pushed from the low $140s into the mid-to-high $150s area, with intraday trading showing steady bids rather than a one-candle spike and fade. That type of controlled strength often attracts momentum traders who look for clean multi-day trends. Still, this is a volatile, richly valued name, with price-to-sales above 20 and negative returns on equity and assets. Risk cuts both ways.

Recent ownership filings, including a Schedule 13G/A amendment and a Form 4, show ongoing stake adjustments, but nothing in this data screams a directional shift. For now, the story is growth, AI exposure, and execution. As Tim Sykes likes to say, “The market rewards planning and punishes hoping — study the catalyst, study the chart, then trade the plan, not your emotions.” As Tim Bohen, lead trainer with StocksToTrade says, “I focus on what a stock is doing, not what I want it to do. Let the stock prove itself before you make a move.”. For TWST, that means respecting the upside momentum while staying ready to cut losses fast if the story or the chart breaks. This analysis is for educational and research purposes only, and is not investment advice.

This is stock news, not investment advice. StocksToTrade News delivers real-time stock market updates tailored to highlight the key catalysts driving short-term price movements. Our coverage is designed for active traders and investors who thrive in fast-moving markets, with a focus on volatile sectors like penny stocks, AI stocks, Robinhood stocks and other momentum plays. From earnings reports and FDA approvals to mergers, new contracts, and unusual trading volume, we break down the events that can spark significant price action.

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