CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Shares Gap Down - What's Next?

Key Points

• Gapped down: CRISPR shares opened at $53.94 after a prior close of $58.78 (about an 8.5% decline) and were trading near $53.57 on heavy volume (~2.05M shares).
• EPS miss and revenue collapse: The company reported EPS of -$1.37 versus -$1.15 expected and revenue of $0.86M vs. $4.72M consensus, with quarterly revenue down 97.8% year‑over‑year.
• Insiders (including the CEO and general counsel) have recently sold shares, institutional ownership is high at 69.2%, and analysts show a mixed view with a consensus Hold rating and a $64.24 target price.

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) shares gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $58.78, but opened at $53.94. CRISPR Therapeutics shares last traded at $53.5680, with a volume of 2,053,391 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on CRSP shares. Citizens Jmp decreased their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a "market outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $90.00 to $89.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $52.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $64.24.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Down 8.5%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $54.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.40. The stock has a market cap of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.26 and a beta of 1.71.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported ($1.37) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.15) by ($0.22). The business had revenue of $0.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.72 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 16,569.77% and a negative return on equity of 26.31%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 97.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($1.01) EPS. As a group, analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 2,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.58, for a total value of $111,048.96. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 85,115 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,475,346.70. This represents a 2.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 6,967 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.58, for a total value of $366,324.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 226,106 shares in the company, valued at $11,888,653.48. The trade was a 2.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 99,079 shares of company stock worth $5,643,674 over the last ninety days. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GSK plc purchased a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $168,890,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd increased its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 76.9% in the second quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 2,764,532 shares of the company's stock valued at $134,467,000 after purchasing an additional 1,201,600 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 98.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,071,883 shares of the company's stock worth $100,789,000 after purchasing an additional 1,025,979 shares during the last quarter. SR One Capital Management LP boosted its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 94.4% in the third quarter. SR One Capital Management LP now owns 2,038,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,132,000 after buying an additional 989,812 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 859,334 shares during the period. 69.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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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