Twist Bioscience CEO sells 2,302 shares to cover taxes
Twist Bioscience Corp (TWST) reported that Chief Executive Officer and director Emily M. Leproust sold 2,302 shares of Common Stock on September 8, 2026 at $122.624 per share.
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Twist Bioscience Corp (TWST) reported that Chief Executive Officer and director Emily M. Leproust sold 2,302 shares of Common Stock on September 8, 2026 at $122.624 per share. After this sale, she directly holds 768,427 shares. The sale was required to cover tax withholding on vesting Restricted Stock Units under the company’s equity incentive plans and, according to the disclosure, did not represent a discretionary trade by her. She also holds several employee stock options with exercise prices ranging from $5.95 to $67.85, including performance stock options covering 64,950 underlying shares at a $67.85 exercise price expiring August 31, 2030.
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Insights
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Insider Trade Summary
Net Seller: 2,302 shares
Net Sell
6 txns
Insider
Leproust Emily M.
Role
Chief Executive Officer
Sold
2,302 shs ($282K)
| Type | Security | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale | Common Stock F1 | 2,302 | $122.624 | $282K |
| holding | Employee Stock Option (right to buy) F2 | -- | -- | -- |
| holding | Employee Stock Option (right to buy) F3 | -- | -- | -- |
| holding | Employee Stock Option (right to buy) F4 | -- | -- | -- |
| holding | Employee Stock Option (right to buy) F5 | -- | -- | -- |
| holding | Employee Stock Option (right to buy) F6 | -- | -- | -- |
Holdings After Transaction:
Common Stock — 768,427 shares (Direct);
Employee Stock Option (right to buy) — 404,948 contracts for 64,950 underlying shares (Direct)
Footnotes (6)
- F1. Represents the number of shares required to be sold by the Reporting Person to cover tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of Restricted Stock Units. These sales are mandated by the Issuer's election under its equity incentive plans to require the satisfaction of a tax withholding obligation to be funded by a "sell to cover" transaction and do not represent discretionary trades by the Reporting Person.
- F2. The option is immediately exercisable. 25% of the shares subject to the option vested on September 1, 2016 and 1/48th of the shares subject to the option vest on each monthly anniversary thereafter, subject to the Reporting Person's continuous service through each vesting date.
- F3. The option is immediately exercisable. 10% of the shares subject to the option vested on September 28, 2017, 15% of the shares subject to the option vested on September 28, 2018, and 1/48th of the shares subject to the option vest on each monthly anniversary thereafter, subject to the Reporting Person's continuous service through each vesting date.
- F4. 20% of the shares subject to the option vested and became exercisable on October 31, 2019 and 1/60th of the shares subject to the option vest and become exercisable on each monthly anniversary thereafter, subject to the Reporting Person's continuous service through each vesting date.
- F5. 25% of the shares subject to the option vested on October 24, 2020, and 1/48th of the shares subject to the option vest on each monthly anniversary thereafter, subject to the Reporting Person's continuous service through each vesting date.
- F6. Represents performance stock options granted to the reporting person on September 1, 2020, that vested and became exercisable on December 19, 2022 as a result of the reporting person having met the applicable performance criteria.
Key Figures
Shares sold: 2,302 shares
Sale price per share: $122.624 per share
Shares held after transaction: 768,427 shares
+4 more
7 metrics
Shares sold
2,302 shares
Common Stock sale by CEO on September 8, 2026
Sale price per share
$122.624 per share
Price for the 2,302 shares sold on September 8, 2026
Shares held after transaction
768,427 shares
Direct Common Stock holdings of CEO after the sale
Option exercise price
$5.95
Employee stock option on Common Stock, expiring September 28, 2025
Option exercise price
$8.82
Employee stock option on Common Stock, expiring September 28, 2027
Performance option exercise price
$67.85
Performance stock options on 64,950 underlying shares, expiring August 31, 2030
Underlying shares for performance options
64,950 shares
Common Stock underlying performance stock options at $67.85
Key Terms
sell to cover, Restricted Stock Units, equity incentive plans, performance stock options
4 terms
sell to cover financial
"require the satisfaction of a tax withholding obligation to be funded by a "sell to cover" transaction"
Sell to cover is when a person who receives company stock through options or awards sells just enough shares immediately to pay required taxes, exercise costs, or fees, keeping the rest. Think of it like cashing part of a bonus to cover the tax bill so you can keep the remainder. For investors, it can create predictable small selling pressure and slightly change the number of shares actually held by insiders without increasing long‑term dilution.
Restricted Stock Units financial
"tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of Restricted Stock Units"
Restricted stock units are a type of company reward where employees are promised shares of stock, but they only fully own these shares after meeting certain conditions, like staying with the company for a set time. They matter because they can become valuable assets and are often used to motivate employees to help the company succeed.
equity incentive plans financial
"mandated by the Issuer's election under its equity incentive plans"
Equity incentive plans are company programs that pay employees, executives, or directors with company stock, stock options, or share units instead of or in addition to cash, aiming to align their interests with shareholders—like giving team members a stake in the house they help build. For investors this matters because such plans can motivate better company performance but also dilute existing ownership and increase reported compensation costs, so they affect future earnings, voting power, and share value.
performance stock options financial
"Represents performance stock options granted to the reporting person on September 1, 2020"
FAQ
What insider transaction did TWST report for CEO Emily Leproust on September 8, 2026?
Twist Bioscience reported that CEO Emily M. Leproust sold 2,302 shares of Common Stock on September 8, 2026 at a price of $122.624 per share. After the sale, she directly held 768,427 shares of Twist Bioscience Common Stock.
Was the TWST CEO’s September 8, 2026 sale under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan?
No. The document-level Rule 10b5-1 checkbox is marked in a way that indicates no Rule 10b5-1 plan is reported for these transactions, and the footnote describes the sale as mandated by the issuer’s tax-withholding election.
What stock options does the TWST CEO have outstanding according to this Form 4?
The filing lists several employee stock options with exercise prices of $5.95, $8.82, $26.66, $23.33, and $67.85. Performance stock options at $67.85 cover 64,950 underlying shares of Common Stock and expire on August 31, 2030.
What is the nature of the performance stock options held by the TWST CEO?
The Form 4 notes performance stock options granted on September 1, 2020 that vested and became exercisable on December 19, 2022 after the CEO met specified performance criteria. These options have a $67.85 exercise price and relate to 64,950 underlying shares expiring on August 31, 2030.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
