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

Key Points

• CRISPR Therapeutics has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 19 analysts, with an average 12-month target price of about $67.78.
• The stock was down 2.1% and traded at $46.54, below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages; it also remains well off its 52-week high of $78.48.
• Recent activity included an insider sale by Naimish Patel, while institutional investors such as GSK, State Street, ARK Investment Management, and Norges Bank have recently added to or initiated positions.

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $67.7778.

CRSP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered CRISPR Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $60.00 price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Citizens Jmp reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "market outperform" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock opened at $46.54 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $52.66 and its 200 day moving average is $52.72. CRISPR Therapeutics has a one year low of $44.12 and a one year high of $78.48. The firm has a market cap of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.48 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 17.97 and a quick ratio of 17.96.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -4.9 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $210,577.32. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 19,357 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,076,636.34. This trade represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. GSK plc purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $168,890,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 76.9% during the 2nd quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 2,764,532 shares of the company's stock worth $134,467,000 after acquiring an additional 1,201,600 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 35.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,270,596 shares of the company's stock worth $159,082,000 after purchasing an additional 859,334 shares in the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 10,522,057 shares of the company's stock worth $551,777,000 after purchasing an additional 735,084 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $25,706,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.20% of the company's stock.

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.

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