DNA Stock: Insider Activity, Filings & Research
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (DNA) — Drillr’s hub for DNA insider activity, SEC filings, earnings signals and AI research. Over the trailing 3 months, DNA insiders filed 0 open-market buys and 11 sales (SEC Form 4).
DNA insider trading activity (SEC Form 4)
| Date | Insider | Type | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Option | 587 | — |
| May 26, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Sell | 307 | $8.33 |
| May 26, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Option | 156 | — |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Option | 156 | — |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Option | 587 | — |
| Apr 20, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Sell | 324 | $7.95 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Sell | 33,171 | $6.41 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Option | 45,553 | — |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Coen Steven P.officer: See remarks | Option | 28,368 | — |
| Apr 13, 2026 | Shetty Reshma P.director, 10 percent owner, officer: See remarks | Sell | 124,727 | $6.43 |
| Apr 13, 2026 | Canton Barry10 percent owner | Option | 251,786 | — |
| Apr 13, 2026 | Shetty Reshma P.director, 10 percent owner, officer: See remarks | Option | 251,786 | — |
| Apr 13, 2026 | Canton Barry10 percent owner | Sell | 124,727 | $6.43 |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Canton Barry10 percent owner | Option | 27,738 | — |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Shetty Reshma P.director, 10 percent owner, officer: See remarks | Option | 27,738 | — |
Source: DNA SEC Form 4 filings, latest May 26, 2026. For informational purposes only — not investment advice.
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. company profile
Overview
Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:DNA) is a biotechnology platform company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The company went public in April 2021 through a SPAC merger. Ginkgo operates as a "platform for cell programming," essentially functioning as a biotechnology foundry that engineers microorganisms to produce various products for customers across multiple industries. The company has evolved from a pure-play cell engineering service provider to a diversified biotechnology platform offering cell programming services, biosecurity solutions, and laboratory automation tools.
Business
Ginkgo Bioworks operates in the synthetic biology industry, which involves engineering biological systems to produce useful compounds. The company's core offering is cell programming - the process of genetically modifying microorganisms like bacteria, yeast, or other cells to produce specific products that would otherwise be manufactured through traditional chemical processes or extracted from natural sources. The company operates three main business segments: 1. Cell Engineering Services (approximately 70-80% of revenue): This is Ginkgo's foundational business where they engineer microorganisms for customers to produce everything from pharmaceuticals to food ingredients to specialty chemicals. For example, instead of extracting a rare compound from thousands of plants, Ginkgo can engineer yeast cells to produce the same compound in a controlled laboratory environment. The process involves designing genetic modifications, testing them in automated laboratory systems, and scaling up successful modifications for commercial production. 2. Biosecurity (approximately 20-25% of revenue): This segment focuses on pathogen monitoring and disease surveillance, particularly for government contracts. Ginkgo uses DNA sequencing and bioinformatics to monitor for biological threats, including work on COVID-19 surveillance, H5N1 bird flu monitoring in dairy farms, and airport pathogen screening programs. 3. Tools and Automation (emerging segment, expected to contribute single-digit millions in 2025): This newer offering includes "Data Points" (generating large datasets for AI model training in biotechnology) and "Ginkgo Automation" (modular laboratory automation systems that can be reconfigured for different research needs). The synthetic biology industry represents a shift from traditional manufacturing toward biological production methods, which can be more sustainable and cost-effective for certain products. Rather than using petroleum-based chemical synthesis or resource-intensive extraction methods, companies can use engineered microorganisms as "living factories" to produce desired compounds.
Revenue model
Ginkgo Bioworks generates revenue through multiple business models depending on the service offering: Cell Engineering Services: The company operates on a fee-for-service model combined with milestone payments and success fees. Customers pay upfront fees for research and development work, milestone payments as projects progress, and in some cases, royalties or revenue sharing if products reach commercialization. The company has moved away from downstream value sharing in many recent deals to make terms more customer-friendly and accelerate deal closure. Biosecurity: Revenue comes primarily from government contracts, particularly with agencies like the CDC. These are typically fixed-price contracts for specific monitoring and surveillance services, with gross margins around 50%. Tools and Automation: These newer offerings follow a product sales model for automation equipment and a service fee model for data generation services. The company's paying customers span multiple industries including pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Merck, Novo Nordisk), agricultural companies, specialty chemical manufacturers, and government agencies. The customer base includes both large multinational corporations and smaller biotechnology companies. Several factors influence Ginkgo's margins and profitability. Positive factors include the scalability of their automated platform (higher utilization reduces per-project costs), the shift toward higher-margin tools and data services, and the company's focus on larger, more established customers with better payment terms. Negative factors include the high fixed costs of maintaining sophisticated laboratory facilities, the research-intensive nature of synthetic biology (which can result in failed projects), competition from other synthetic biology platforms and traditional contract research organizations, and the cyclical nature of R&D spending which can fluctuate with economic conditions and customer priorities.
Competitive moat
Ginkgo Bioworks' competitive moat is moderate but faces significant challenges. The company's primary advantages stem from its scale and automation infrastructure. Ginkgo has invested heavily in automated laboratory systems and data generation capabilities that would be expensive for competitors to replicate. Their platform approach allows them to apply learnings from one project to others, creating some network effects as they accumulate more biological data and engineering experience. The company also benefits from customer switching costs once projects are underway, as moving complex cell engineering programs to another provider would be time-consuming and expensive. Their partnerships with major pharmaceutical and agricultural companies provide some relationship-based protection. However, Ginkgo's moat is not particularly strong. The synthetic biology industry is highly competitive with well-funded players like Zymergen (which Ginkgo acquired), Twist Bioscience, and numerous academic institutions and corporate R&D labs developing similar capabilities. The core technologies underlying synthetic biology - DNA synthesis, automated laboratory equipment, and genetic engineering techniques - are becoming increasingly commoditized. Additionally, many of Ginkgo's large customers (pharmaceutical and chemical companies) have significant internal R&D capabilities and could potentially bring cell engineering work in-house if they determine it's strategically important. The company's biosecurity business, while growing, depends heavily on government contracts that can be subject to political and budgetary changes. The emergence of AI-driven drug discovery and synthetic biology platforms represents a potential disruption, as these technologies could automate much of what Ginkgo currently does manually. The company is attempting to address this by developing its own AI and data generation capabilities, but faces competition from both traditional biotech companies and technology firms entering the space.
Risks & safety
Ginkgo Bioworks presents a mixed margin of safety profile with some strengths but significant cash burn concerns. Liquidity and Solvency: • Strong cash position: $312 million in cash and short-term investments as of Q1 2025 • Current ratio of 4.88 indicates good short-term liquidity • No bank debt, reducing financial risk • However, significant cash burn of $59 million in Q1 2025 (though improved from $104 million in Q1 2024) Valuation Metrics: • Trading at 0.48x book value, suggesting potential undervaluation • Negative earnings and EBITDA make traditional valuation metrics less meaningful • Enterprise value appears reasonable given cash position and asset base Other Considerations: • Company targeting EBITDA breakeven by end of 2026, but execution risk remains high • Revenue growth has been volatile and declining in recent quarters • Substantial cost reduction efforts ($205 million annual run rate reduction achieved) show management focus on efficiency • At current burn rate, cash runway extends approximately 5+ years, providing time for turnaround
Recent development
Over the past few years, Ginkgo Bioworks has undergone significant strategic transformation driven by financial pressures and market conditions. The company has shifted from a growth-at-all-costs model to a focus on operational efficiency and path to profitability. Major Cost Reduction Initiative: Beginning in 2024, Ginkgo implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures, including a 35% workforce reduction (approximately 450 employees) and achieved $205 million in annual run rate cost savings. The company consolidated facilities, reduced contractor spending by 60%, and cut professional fees by 40%. Business Model Evolution: The company has moved away from complex revenue-sharing deals toward more straightforward fee-for-service arrangements to accelerate deal closure and improve customer relationships. They've also shifted focus from quantity to quality of programs, targeting larger, more established customers. New Product Launches: In 2024-2025, Ginkgo launched two new business lines: "Data Points" (generating large biological datasets for AI model training) and "Ginkgo Automation" (modular laboratory automation systems). These offerings target higher margins (40%+) and shorter sales cycles compared to traditional cell engineering projects. Technology Platform Investments: The company has invested in AI capabilities and developed proprietary automation technology called RAC (Reconfigurable Automation Cart) to improve laboratory efficiency and reduce project timelines. Biosecurity Expansion: Ginkgo has expanded its biosecurity offerings beyond COVID-19 monitoring to include H5N1 surveillance in dairy farms and broader pathogen monitoring capabilities, securing ongoing government contracts and EU funding for disease surveillance projects.
DNA company profile · for informational purposes only — not investment advice.
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