CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-two brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $68.35.

A number of research firms recently commented on CRSP. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $52.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Wedbush cut their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $13.00 to $9.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:CRSP traded down $0.41 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $55.77. 147,530 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,698,732. CRISPR Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $30.04 and a fifty-two week high of $78.48. The stock has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.99 and a beta of 1.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $54.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.24.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($1.17) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.32) by $0.15. The business had revenue of $0.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.74 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 1,273.70% and a negative return on equity of 21.23%. As a group, research analysts predict that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 50,895 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.91, for a total transaction of $3,456,279.45. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 254,201 shares in the company, valued at $17,262,789.91. The trade was a 16.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth about $225,000. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC increased its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 29.8% during the second quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC now owns 42,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,052,000 after purchasing an additional 9,685 shares during the period. Slow Capital Inc. raised its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 15.6% in the second quarter. Slow Capital Inc. now owns 75,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,667,000 after buying an additional 10,152 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 59.7% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 129,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,302,000 after buying an additional 48,412 shares during the period. Finally, Intellectus Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $284,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics AG is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of gene-editing therapies based on the CRISPR/Cas9 platform. The company applies its proprietary technology to modify genes in human cells, aiming to create durable treatments for a range of serious diseases. Its research and development efforts focus on both ex vivo and in vivo applications, enabling targeted correction or disruption of disease-causing genes.

Among its lead programs is CTX001, an ex vivo edited cell therapy designed to treat sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals.