Twist Bioscience Beats Estimates with Strong Q1 Revenue Preview

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – January 12, 2026 – Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST) today provided a strong opening to the biotech earnings season, announcing preliminary first-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue that surpassed Wall Street expectations. The synthetic biology leader reported approximately $103.7 million in unaudited revenue for the quarter ending December 31, 2025, marking a robust 17% increase over the same period in the prior year.

The figure comfortably exceeds the analyst consensus estimate of $100.3 million compiled by FactSet, signaling sustained momentum for the company. The positive preliminary results have set an optimistic tone ahead of the full financial disclosure and conference call scheduled for before market open on February 2, 2026. For investors and industry watchers, the announcement serves as an early indicator of the company's health and its ability to execute on its growth strategy.

Setting a Bullish Tone for Earnings

This preliminary revenue beat is not an isolated event but rather continues a pattern of impressive growth. It follows a record-breaking fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, where Twist reported $99.0 million in revenue, capping off an eleventh consecutive quarter of sequential growth. The company’s full-year fiscal 2025 revenue reached $376.6 million, a 20% increase from the prior year, demonstrating consistent and substantial expansion.

As the February 2nd earnings call approaches, all eyes will be on management's commentary regarding profitability and future outlook. A key focus will be the company’s progress toward its stated goal of achieving adjusted EBITDA breakeven by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Investors will be keen to analyze gross margin trends, which stood at an impressive 51.3% in the previous quarter and are guided to exceed 52% for the full fiscal year 2026. Achieving this margin expansion is critical to the company's path to profitability and will be a primary measure of its operational efficiency.

Furthermore, stakeholders will be listening for any reaffirmation or revision of the company's full-year fiscal 2026 revenue guidance, currently projected to be between $425 million and $435 million. The strong start to the year suggests this guidance is well within reach, but confirmation from leadership will be crucial for market confidence. The upcoming report will also be the first to feature the company's new reporting structure, which combines its SynBio and Biopharma segments into “DNA Synthesis and Protein Solutions,” and rebrands its NGS revenue under “NGS Applications.” Analysts will be parsing these new segments to understand the underlying drivers of growth.

A Bellwether for the Synthetic Biology Boom

Twist Bioscience's strong performance serves as a positive data point for the broader synthetic biology market, an industry poised for explosive growth. Market research projects the global synthetic biology sector to expand from its 2023 valuation of $13.9 billion to nearly $60 billion by 2030, driven by a compound annual growth rate of over 20%. This expansion is fueled by breakthroughs in gene editing technologies like CRISPR and a surging demand for synthetic DNA across healthcare, agriculture, and industrial chemicals.

In this dynamic environment, Twist's results position it as a key player capitalizing on these trends. The company's 17% year-over-year growth outpaces that of some competitors in related fields. For instance, enzyme engineering firm Codexis reported a more modest 2% year-over-year revenue increase in its recent preliminary report, while cell programming giant Ginkgo Bioworks has guided for full-year 2025 revenue in the range of $245 million to $260 million. While direct comparisons can be complex due to different business models, Twist's consistent top-line growth highlights its strong market position and the high demand for its foundational tools.

The company’s success reflects the critical role that high-quality, scalable DNA synthesis plays in modern research and development. From designing novel therapeutics and vaccines to engineering microbes for sustainable chemical production and developing more resilient crops, synthetic DNA is the raw material of the bio-revolution. Twist's ability to reliably deliver this essential component positions it as a critical enabler of innovation across the entire biotechnology ecosystem.

The Silicon Platform Powering Growth

At the heart of Twist Bioscience's commercial success is its proprietary silicon-based DNA Synthesis Platform. This technology represents a fundamental departure from traditional synthesis methods, enabling the company to manufacture synthetic DNA at a scale, speed, and cost that was previously unattainable. By miniaturizing the chemical reactions on a silicon chip, Twist can produce millions of oligonucleotides (short strands of DNA) simultaneously, providing its customers with the precision and throughput needed to accelerate their research cycles.

This technological advantage is the engine driving growth across all of the company's business lines. The newly formed “DNA Synthesis and Protein Solutions” segment directly leverages this platform to serve customers in biopharma and industrial biotech. This includes supporting the rapidly growing field of AI-driven drug discovery, where Twist noted a record order in the fourth quarter of 2025. The ability to rapidly synthesize vast libraries of genetic variants allows machine learning algorithms to test and identify promising new drug candidates faster than ever before.

Meanwhile, the “NGS Applications” segment benefits from the platform's ability to produce high-quality, uniform capture probes used in Next-Generation Sequencing. These tools are essential for a range of applications, from liquid biopsies for cancer detection to population genomics. The company is also pushing further into diagnostics, with new products like the fast-turnaround MRD Express panel for minimal residual disease monitoring expected to launch in early 2026, opening up another significant avenue for future growth.

As the company prepares to deliver its complete financial results, this strong preliminary announcement underscores a clear narrative: robust demand, technological differentiation, and disciplined execution are driving the company forward. The detailed figures and management outlook on February 2nd will provide a more complete picture, but the initial data suggests that Twist Bioscience is continuing its trajectory as a formidable force in the synthetic biology landscape.