CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Stock Gets Price Target Boost from Citigroup

Key Points

• Citigroup raised its price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $88 to $90 and maintained a Buy rating, implying 73.81% upside from the cited share price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans positive: MarketBeat’s consensus rating is Moderate Buy, with a $66.12 average price target.
• CASGEVY sales reached $99 million in the third quarter, up 30% from the prior quarter, but CRISPR reported a wider-than-expected loss and revenue below analyst forecasts.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $88.00 to $90.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Citigroup's price objective points to a potential upside of 73.81% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citizens Jmp reiterated a "market outperform" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, October 15th. William Blair upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $55.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.12.

CRISPR Therapeutics Price Performance

CRSP stock traded up $1.79 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.78. The company had a trading volume of 1,388,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,718,181. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $53.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.85. CRISPR Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $44.12 and a fifty-two week high of $63.45. The company has a market cap of $5.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.92 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a current ratio of 17.85, a quick ratio of 17.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported ($1.15) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.06) by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $12.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.75 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 24.96% and a negative net margin of 1,812.07%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 1311.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, Director Ali Behbahani sold 13,679 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.09, for a total value of $780,934.11. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,637 shares in the company, valued at approximately $949,806.33. This trade represents a 45.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 47,837 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.78, for a total transaction of $2,381,325.86. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 311,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,526,332.22. The trade was a 13.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 93,558 shares of company stock worth $4,881,663 in the last quarter. Insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 175.1% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 465 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Compass Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at about $56,000. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 249.9% in the first quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 1,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 92.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,246 shares of the company's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 597 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CRISPR Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CRISPR Therapeutics said Phase 1/2 data for zugo-cel in relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma will be presented orally at the ASH meeting in December. The presentation puts a clinical-stage program in the spotlight, though the announcement did not disclose new results. Article: CRISPR Therapeutics to Present Clinical Data from Zugo-cel
• Positive Sentiment: CASGEVY generated $99 million in third-quarter sales, up 30% from the prior quarter and nearly sixfold year over year. The company also cited new pediatric approvals in the U.K., UAE and Bahrain, supporting the therapy’s commercial expansion. Article: Third-quarter business update and results
• Neutral Sentiment: Pipeline developments included FDA RMAT designations for CTX310 and completion of enrollment in a Phase 2 CTX611 study. These milestones may support longer-term prospects, but do not yet establish commercial success. Article: Third-quarter business update and results
• Negative Sentiment: CRISPR reported a third-quarter loss of $1.15 per share, wider than the $1.06 expected, while reported revenue of $12.67 million also missed consensus of $14.75 million. The earnings shortfall tempers the positive CASGEVY sales figures. Article: CRSP's Q3 Loss Wider Than Expected
• Negative Sentiment: Brookline Capital Markets modestly lowered its 2028–2030 earnings-per-share forecasts, a small reduction in its longer-term outlook.

CRISPR Therapeutics Company Profile

CRISPR Therapeutics AG NASDAQ: CRSP is a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. The company's research programs are designed to address genetic diseases by precisely modifying DNA in cells, with applications across hematology, immunology, oncology, regenerative medicine and cardiovascular disease.

Its lead commercial product is CASGEVY, an autologous cell therapy developed in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

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