Twist Bioscience (TWST) CEO trims stake in tax-driven sale
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Twist Bioscience Corp (TWST) reported that Chief Executive Officer and director Emily M. Leproust sold 6,639 shares of common stock on August 21, 2026 at $139.066 per share. According to the company’s equity plan, this mandated “sell to cover” transaction was solely to satisfy tax withholding on vested Restricted Stock Units and was not discretionary. Following the sale, she directly held 812,299 common shares. She also holds several employee stock options with exercise prices ranging from $5.95 to $67.85, including performance stock options with an exercise price of $67.85 expiring August 31, 2030 on 64,950 underlying shares.
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Insights
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Insider Trade Summary
Net Seller: 6,639 shares
Net Sell
6 txns
Insider
Leproust Emily M.
Role
Chief Executive Officer
Sold
6,639 shs ($923K)
| Type | Security | Shares | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale | Common Stock F1 | 6,639 | $139.066 | $923K |
| 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 — 812,299 shares (Direct);
Employee Stock Option (right to buy) — 64,950 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: 6,639 shares
Sale price per share: $139.066 per share
Shares held after transaction: 812,299 shares
+4 more
7 metrics
Shares sold
6,639 shares
Common Stock sold on August 21, 2026 to cover tax withholding
Sale price per share
$139.066 per share
Price for the 6,639 shares of Common Stock sold on August 21, 2026
Shares held after transaction
812,299 shares
Direct Common Stock holdings of Emily M. Leproust after the sale
Option exercise price
$5.95
Exercise price of an Employee Stock Option expiring September 28, 2025
Option exercise price
$8.82
Exercise price of an Employee Stock Option expiring September 28, 2027
Performance stock option exercise price
$67.85
Exercise price of performance stock options expiring August 31, 2030
Underlying shares for performance stock options
64,950 shares
Underlying Common Stock for performance stock options at $67.85 exercise price
Key Terms
sell to cover, Restricted Stock Units, equity incentive plans, performance stock options, +1 more
5 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"
exercise price financial
"vested and became exercisable on December 19, 2022 as a result"
The exercise price is the fixed amount at which you can buy or sell an asset, like a stock, when using an options contract. It matters because it helps determine whether exercising the option will be profitable or not, depending on the current market price. Think of it as the set price you agree on today to buy or sell later.
FAQ
What insider transaction did TWST CEO Emily Leproust report on this Form 4?
Emily M. Leproust reported selling 6,639 shares of Twist Bioscience common stock on August 21, 2026 at $139.066 per share. The filing states the sale was to cover tax withholding on vested Restricted Stock Units under the company’s equity incentive plans.
What stock options for TWST does the CEO report holding in this filing?
Emily M. Leproust reports several employee stock options with exercise prices of $5.95, $8.82, $26.66, $23.33, and $67.85. The $67.85 options, expiring August 31, 2030, cover 64,950 underlying shares and vested after meeting performance criteria.
Was the TWST CEO’s reported sale under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan?
The Rule 10b5-1 checkbox is not marked as affirmatively used for this filing, and the footnotes describe the sale as mandated "sell to cover" for tax withholding, not as a discretionary sale under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
