CRISPR Therapeutics Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:CRSP)

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders bought 7,023 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 85% compared to the average daily volume of 3,806 call options.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of CRSP stock remained flat at $60.08 during mid-day trading on Friday. 2,926,090 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,640,160. CRISPR Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $44.12 and a 12-month high of $78.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $52.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $53.02. The company has a quick ratio of 17.96, a current ratio of 17.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The stock has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.66 and a beta of 1.71.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.46 million during the quarter. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 25.66% and a negative net margin of 13,856.54%. As a group, equities analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $210,577.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 19,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,076,636.34. The trade was a 16.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 175.1% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the period. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 836.7% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 196.9% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRSP has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised CRISPR Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group set a $80.00 target price on CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Friday, June 12th. Truist Financial raised CRISPR Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $60.00 price target on CRISPR Therapeutics and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.78.

CRISPR Therapeutics Company Profile

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.