CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded CRISPR Therapeutics from “Sell” to “Hold,” while broader analyst coverage remains positive with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $68.06.
• CRISPR Therapeutics’ shares opened at $53.52, up 3.6%, but the company remains unprofitable after reporting a quarterly loss of $0.94 per share on $10.18 million in revenue.
• Institutional investors own 69.2% of the stock and several funds recently increased their positions, while an insider sold shares to cover tax withholding obligations.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. UBS Group set a $80.00 price target on CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $82.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CRISPR Therapeutics has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Up 3.6%

NASDAQ:CRSP opened at $53.52 on Friday. CRISPR Therapeutics has a one year low of $44.12 and a one year high of $78.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 17.85 and a quick ratio of 17.96. The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of -11.24 and a beta of 1.74. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $52.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.31.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported ($0.94) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $10.18 million during the quarter. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 3,368.72% and a negative return on equity of 24.39%. On average, research analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -4.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of the company'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 transaction, the insider owned 19,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,076,636.34. This represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRSP. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 30.1% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 35,000 shares of the company's stock worth $1,909,000 after acquiring an additional 8,100 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 16.9% during the second quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 30,485 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 4,407 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at about $201,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 184.2% during the second quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 1,637 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quad Cities Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $227,000. 69.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CRISPR Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright remains bullish: The firm maintained a “Buy” rating and an $80 price target, while modestly narrowing its projected losses for fiscal 2026, fiscal 2027 and fourth-quarter 2027. The revisions suggest slightly better expected profitability, although CRISPR is still forecast to remain unprofitable. HC Wainwright CRISPR Therapeutics estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Other bullish coverage supports sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its “Buy” rating on CRISPR Therapeutics, while Brookline Capital Markets raised its fiscal 2027 EPS forecast to a loss of $4.51 from a loss of $5.05. Piper Sandler reaffirms Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo issued a Hold rating: The rating indicates a more cautious view and may limit the impact of the bullish recommendations, particularly with CRSP still reporting substantial losses. Wells Fargo Hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: Brookline lowered its fiscal 2026 outlook: The firm increased its projected fiscal 2026 loss to $5.63 per share from $5.36 and reduced its fourth-quarter 2026 forecast to a $1.87-per-share loss from $1.69. These revisions highlight near-term earnings pressure.

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.

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