CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• CRISPR Therapeutics AG has received a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating from 16 analysts, with an average price target of $71.60.
• The company's stock opened at $55.00 and recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of ($1.29), exceeding analysts' estimates.
• Significant insider activity includes the sale of shares by Naimish Patel and a substantial purchase by Director Simeon George, indicating varying confidence levels among insiders.

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $71.60.

CRSP has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $53.00 to $47.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 8th. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $79.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $42.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock opened at $55.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.13 and a beta of 1.80. CRISPR Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $30.04 and a 12-month high of $71.13. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $51.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.91.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The company reported ($1.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $0.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.44 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 1,229.43% and a negative return on equity of 20.05%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 72.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($1.49) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,932 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total transaction of $141,316.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 6,068 shares in the company, valued at approximately $218,083.92. This trade represents a 39.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Simeon George purchased 989,812 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $52.03 per share, with a total value of $51,499,918.36. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,730,179 shares in the company, valued at approximately $90,021,213.37. The trade was a 133.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRSP. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 182.9% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,952,751 shares of the company's stock worth $66,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,262,560 shares during the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 10,165,400 shares of the company's stock worth $345,929,000 after buying an additional 1,192,336 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 39.2% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,811,708 shares of the company's stock worth $150,029,000 after buying an additional 1,074,238 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 98.1% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,071,883 shares of the company's stock worth $100,789,000 after buying an additional 1,025,979 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 8,743,523 shares of the company's stock worth $344,145,000 after buying an additional 816,789 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics Company Profile

CRISPR Therapeutics is a gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases.

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