CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Shares have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from 19 analysts (10 buys, 1 strong buy, 6 holds, 2 sells) with an average 12‑month price target of about $64.53.
• Recent results missed expectations: Q4 EPS of ($1.37) vs. ($1.15) est. and revenue of $0.86M vs. $4.72M est., with revenue down 97.8% year‑over‑year.
• Insiders have sold 141,828 shares (~$7.74M) in the last three months (including CEO Samarth Kulkarni), while insiders own 4.30% and institutional/hedge funds own about 69.2% of the stock.

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $64.5294.

CRSP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, February 16th. Citizens Jmp decreased their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 10,020 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $468,735.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 255,501 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,952,336.78. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.26, for a total transaction of $152,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 13,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $634,281.18. This trade represents a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 141,828 shares of company stock worth $7,744,397. 4.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 71.4% during the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 504 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Thompson Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Strategic Advocates LLC acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Down 1.8%

CRSP stock opened at $55.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of -8.55 and a beta of 1.80. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $51.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.07. CRISPR Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $33.03 and a fifty-two week high of $78.48.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($1.37) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.15) by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $0.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.72 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 26.31% and a negative net margin of 16,569.77%.CRISPR Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was down 97.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($1.01) EPS. Equities analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.