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TWST Jumps As Twist Bioscience Lands Eli Lilly AI Drug Discovery Deal

TIM BOHEN•UPDATED SEP. 18, 2026, 4:48 PM ET
Reviewed by Ben Sturgilland Fact-checked by Ellis Hobbs

Twist Bioscience Corporation stocks have been trading up by 7.02 percent following impactful news driving strong investor optimism

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What Traders Need To Know

  • Signed an agreement to provide antibody characterization data and services to Eli Lilly’s AI/ML TuneLab platform, feeding high-quality lab data into Lilly’s antibody discovery models.
  • Shares rose, in some reports by more than 4%, after the Lilly TuneLab collaboration headlines, signaling strong trader interest in the AI drug discovery angle.
  • Leerink lifted its price target on Twist Bioscience from $120 to $160 and kept an Outperform rating, citing conservative revenue assumptions and a large AI-driven opportunity.
  • UBS began coverage with a Neutral rating but a $144 target, above prior average targets, pointing to solid long-term growth prospects for life science tools.
  • Management indicated Anthropic mini-binder AI work is likely already included in fiscal 2027 orders, meaning it is real traction but not extra upside versus current guidance.

Candlestick Chart

Weekly Update Sep 14 – Sep 18, 2026: On Friday, September 18, 2026 Twist Bioscience Corporation stock [NASDAQ: TWST] is trending up by 7.02%! Discover the key drivers behind this movement as well as our expert analysis in the detailed breakdown below.

Healthcare industry expert:

Analyst sentiment – positive

Twist Bioscience occupies a differentiated position in synthetic biology and NGS tools, with 52% gross margin and nearly 10% three‑year and 28% five‑year revenue CAGRs, validating demand for its DNA writing platform. However, fundamentals remain loss‑making and capital consumptive: EBIT margin is -31.8%, ROE about -30%, and free cash flow in the latest quarter was -$8.6M despite positive operating cash flow helped by $18M stock‑based comp. Valuation is demanding at ~22x sales and ~21x book, embedding high execution expectations.

Technically, TWST is in a powerful upside breakout. The stock has moved from $134 to $168 in four sessions, with consecutive higher highs and strong closes near the top of the intraday range, confirming aggressive dip‑buying and high volume following the Lilly AI news. The dominant trend is bullish. First actionable level is $155–157, the 9/17 breakout and prior close; above that, momentum buyers can lean long, with risk managed against a break back below $150 on closing basis.

More Breaking News

Fundamentally, the Lilly TuneLab collaboration and visible AI‑driven antibody discovery demand, plus Leerink’s $160 target and UBS’s $144 initiation, position Twist at the high‑growth end of tools versus broader Healthcare and Diagnostics peers that grow mid‑single to low‑double digits with positive earnings. Twist trades as an AI‑levered platform, not a traditional diagnostics company. I view risk/reward as favorable but volatile; my 6–12 month target range is $170–190, with support near $150 and resistance near $185.

Quick Financial Overview

Twist Bioscience Corporation (TWST) is trading in a strong uptrend following the Eli Lilly TuneLab agreement. On the weekly tape, the stock pushed from roughly the mid-$130s to the high-$160s within a few days, showing decisive momentum. Intraday, the 5-minute chart shows a steady grind higher from the upper-$150s into the mid-$160s, with buyers defending pullbacks around $160 and closing near $167.66. That tells you dip-buyers are active and the news is getting bid.

Under the hood, TWST remains a high-growth, loss-making name. Trailing revenue is about $376.6M with a gross margin near 52%, but EBIT margin is roughly -31.8% and recent quarterly net income was about -$35.1M. Return on equity and assets are deeply negative, which is normal for an early-stage platform, but it means the stock trades on story, growth, and strategic deals more than near-term earnings.

Valuation is rich. Price-to-sales is around 22x and price-to-book over 21x, with enterprise value near $10.24B. On the balance sheet, leverage is modest, with total debt-to-equity around 0.21 and a current ratio around 2.7, giving Twist Bioscience Corporation room to keep funding growth. Cash flow is still negative, with free cash flow roughly -$8.6M last quarter, but operating cash flow has turned slightly positive. For traders, this is a classic high-multiple, high-volatility growth chart, driven by catalysts like the Lilly AI collaboration and changing analyst targets.

Conclusion

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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