On August 6, 2020 Twist Bioscience Corporation (NASDAQ: TWST), a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, reported financial results and business highlights for the third quarter of fiscal 2020, ended June 30, 2020 (Press release, Twist Bioscience, AUG 6, 2020, View Source [SID1234563182]).

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"We posted a strong quarter of revenue growth for both synthetic biology and next generation sequencing (NGS) along with solid orders and a robust pipeline of opportunities across our silicon-based technology platform," said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience. "Our disruptive platform combined with our unique business model continues to enable us to expand our footprint among our existing markets, extend our reach through biopharma partnerships and concurrently respond to pressing market needs including demand for COVID-19 related products."

FISCAL 2020 THIRD QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS

Orders: Total orders received for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 were $24.7 million, compared to $18.1 million for the same period of fiscal 2019.
Revenue: Total revenues were $21.2 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 compared to $13.6 million for the same period of fiscal 2019.
Cost of Revenues: Cost of revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 was $16.5 million compared to $11.4 million for the same period of fiscal 2019.
Research and Development Expenses: Research and development expenses for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 were $10.4 million compared to $9.0 million for the same period of fiscal 2019.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses: Selling, general and administrative expenses for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 were $22.5 million compared to $21.3 million for the same period of fiscal 2019.
Net Loss: Net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 was $28.2 million, or $0.67 per share, compared to $27.9 million, or $0.92 per share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
Cash Position: As of June 30, 2020, the company had $311.8 million in cash, cash equivalents and short term investments.
"During the fiscal third quarter of 2020, we delivered another quarter of sequential growth and we continued to prove out our platform, tapping into new revenue opportunities," commented Jim Thorburn, CFO of Twist. "We expanded our customer base, booked solid orders and concluded a successful financing, ending the quarter with $311.8 million in cash and short-term investments, well positioned to deliver growth in this challenging environment."

Fiscal Third Quarter 2020 and Recent Highlights

Shipped products to 1,377 customers in the third quarter of fiscal 2020, versus 834 in the same period of fiscal 2019.
Continued to support customers in the fight against COVID-19 including Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), who published positive preclinical results using potently neutralizing antibodies as a potential therapy to prevent and treat COVID-19.
Expanded infectious disease product line with the addition of:
The Twist Respiratory Virus Research Panel, a robust next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach to detecting a wide range of respiratory diseases including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, several other coronaviruses, influenzas, rhinoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus.
Synthetic controls for the environmental testing, assay development, verification, and ongoing validation of diagnostic tests for a broad range of common respiratory diseases including SARS-CoV-2.
Announced a partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) for access to Twist Biopharma’s proprietary phage display libraries for the discovery, validation and optimization of antibodies in Takeda’s pipeline of biologics for oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience and gastroenterology.
Announced an agreement with Invetx, a pioneer in protein-based therapeutics for animal health, for the engineering and optimization of novel antibodies for the treatment of serious diseases in dogs and cats.
Announced a partnership with Seismic Bio for the discovery and optimization of antibodies to high-value immuno-oncology targets.
In fiscal 2020, have signed nine revenue-generating partnership related to Twist Biopharma, a division of Twist Bioscience; six of the partnerships include milestones and/or royalties.
Launched two new SARS-CoV-2 antibody panels: the Twist anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 Antibody Panel and the Twist Human anti-ACE2 Antibody Panel, to expedite research for COVID-19.
Advanced our DNA data storage technology, setting the stage for commercialization of a platform that we expect will be cost competitive with current commercial data storage methods.
Completed an offering of approximately 3.48 million shares of our common stock at a price of $33.00 per share raising approximately $107.5 million in proceeds, net of estimated offering expenses.
Appointed Erin Smith as senior vice president of government affairs and public policy.
COVID-19 Considerations

During the three months ended June 30, 2020, financial results of the Company were not significantly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the extent to which the COVID-19 outbreak affects Twist’s future financial results and operations is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and will depend on future developments, including the duration, spread and treatment of the outbreak domestically and abroad.

Conference Call Information

The company plans to hold a conference call and live audio webcast for analysts and investors today at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial results and provide an update on the company’s business. The call can be accessed by dialing (866) 688-0947 (domestic) or (409) 217-8781 (international) and refer to the conference ID 4462599. A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available beginning approximately four hours after the call through August 13, 2020 and may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 (domestic) or (404) 537-3406 (international). The replay conference ID is 4462599. The webcast replay will be available for two weeks.

Given the circumstances globally, it is recommended to dial-in at most 15 to 20 minutes prior to the call start to reduce waiting times. If a participant will be listen-only, they are encouraged to listen via the webcast on Twist’s investor page.