Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST) shares were up intraday, trading higher between 5% and 8% following the company’s first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings release and investor call, extending recent resilience off recent lows amid a 52-week trading range that has seen the stock hit highs near prior resistance levels but remain below its 52-week peak.
Q1 Results Summary
Twist reported revenue of $103.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, up 17% year-over-year. Gross margin expanded to 52%, improving roughly 4 percentage points compared with the year-ago period. Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 was a loss of about $13.4 million, an improvement versus the prior year’s adjusted EBITDA loss.
Twist ended the quarter with approximately $197.9 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. Net cash used in operating activities was roughly $24.8 million and capital expenditures totaled about $10 million.
Revenue Drivers and Segment Performance
Broad-based revenue growth with DNA Synthesis & Protein Solutions up 27% to $51.1 million, driven by demand from AI-enabled discovery customers, and NGS Applications revenue of $52.6 million, which rose 18% excluding the impact of a single large customer. Geographic performance was positive with the Americas up about 9% and EMEA up around 36% year-over-year.
Industry segment revenue reflected a 39% increase in therapeutics and a 50% jump in global supply partner revenue. Diagnostics revenue was flat overall but up 12% when excluding a large customer, while academic research and government revenue remained roughly level. Twist delivered its 12th consecutive quarter of year-over-year revenue growth.
Margins, Costs and Profit Path
Twist maintained a gross margin above 50% for the quarter amid ongoing investments in commercial and digital capabilities. Operating expenses increased to $86.9 million from $77.5 million in the prior year period, primarily reflecting strategic investments to support future growth. Management reaffirmed its commitment to achieving adjusted EBITDA breakeven by Q4 of fiscal 2026.
Guidance and Outlook
Company guidance for full-year fiscal 2026 projects revenue between $435 million and $440 million, representing about 16% growth at the midpoint. Twist expects Q2 revenue in the range of $107 million to $108 million. Management expects gross margins to remain above 52% for the full year.
Analyst Activity
Analysts issued no new upgrades, downgrades or price-target revisions following the earnings release.
Context
Twist’s latest results continue a multi-quarter trend of consistent top-line growth and margin improvement as the company expands its serviceable markets and increases penetration across therapeutics, diagnostics and applied segments. return to adjusted EBITDA breakeven remains a key investor focus.