Form 4: Twist Bio CEO Sells Shares for Tax Obligations

Sentiment:

Insider Transaction Report 24 September 2025 4:07 PM

Twist Bioscience CEO Emily M. Leproust sold 1,704 shares of common stock to cover tax withholding obligations related to vested restricted stock units.

Summary

Emily M. Leproust, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Twist Bioscience Corp (TWST), reported a transaction involving the sale of common stock.
On September 22, 2025, Leproust sold 1,704 shares of Twist Bioscience common stock at a price of $27.56 per share.
This sale was a non-discretionary 'sell to cover' transaction, mandated by the Issuer's equity incentive plans, to satisfy tax withholding obligations arising from the vesting of Restricted Stock Units.
Following this transaction, Leproust beneficially owns 633,036 shares of Twist Bioscience common stock directly.
Leproust also holds various employee stock options with different exercise prices and vesting schedules, including 150,879 options at $8.82, 266,539 options at $26.66, 131,290 options at $23.33, and 64,950 performance stock options at $67.85.

Sentiment

Score: 5

Explanation: The sentiment is neutral as the transaction was a mandated 'sell to cover' for tax purposes, not a discretionary sale reflecting a change in the insider's investment outlook.

Positives

The transaction was a non-discretionary 'sell to cover' for tax purposes, which does not indicate a negative outlook from the insider.
The vesting of Restricted Stock Units and performance stock options implies that the reporting person met applicable performance criteria, reflecting positively on executive compensation and potentially company performance.

Negatives

No inherent negatives are identified from this specific transaction, as it was a mandated sale for tax withholding rather than a discretionary divestment.

Future Outlook

Industry Context

Related Party Transactions

The 'sell to cover' transaction is a mechanism within the issuer's equity incentive plans to satisfy tax withholding obligations for vested equity awards, representing a transaction between the executive and the company related to compensation.

Stakeholder Impact

Shareholders: Minimal direct impact, as the transaction is a routine, non-discretionary event for tax purposes and does not signal a change in insider confidence.
Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Creditors: No direct impact from this specific insider transaction.

Key Dates

Date	Description
09/01/2016	25% of shares subject to an employee stock option vested, with 1/48th vesting monthly thereafter.
09/28/2017	10% of shares subject to an employee stock option vested.
09/28/2018	15% of shares subject to an employee stock option vested.
10/31/2019	20% of shares subject to an employee stock option vested and became exercisable.
09/01/2020	Performance stock options granted to the reporting person.
10/24/2020	25% of shares subject to an employee stock option vested.
12/19/2022	Performance stock options vested and became exercisable as a result of meeting applicable performance criteria.
09/22/2025	Date of common stock transaction (sale of 1,704 shares).
09/24/2025	Signature date of the Form 4 filing.
09/28/2025	Expiration date for an employee stock option with an exercise price of $5.95.
09/28/2027	Expiration date for an employee stock option with an exercise price of $8.82.
11/18/2028	Expiration date for an employee stock option with an exercise price of $26.66.
10/23/2029	Expiration date for an employee stock option with an exercise price of $23.33.
08/31/2030	Expiration date for an employee stock option with an exercise price of $67.85.

Recommendation

hold

The reported transaction is a non-discretionary 'sell to cover' to satisfy tax obligations on vested equity, which is a routine event for executives. It does not reflect a change in the insider's investment conviction or the company's fundamentals, thus a 'hold' recommendation is appropriate based solely on this filing.

Keywords

Twist Bioscience, TWST, Insider Transaction, Form 4, Stock Sale, CEO, Emily Leproust, Equity Compensation, Restricted Stock Units, Stock Options, Tax Withholding

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