CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Stock Price Up 4.7% - Time to Buy?

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) were up 4.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $46.73 and last traded at $46.50. Approximately 495,549 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average daily volume of 2,338,765 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.40.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CRSP shares. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $86.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI raised CRISPR Therapeutics from an "in-line" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $60.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen raised CRISPR Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.40.

CRISPR Therapeutics Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a PE ratio of -10.05 and a beta of 1.67. The business has a fifty day moving average of $42.49 and a 200-day moving average of $45.94.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.15) by $0.71. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 18.46% and a negative net margin of 981.54%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 18,360 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total value of $1,013,472.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 171,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,473,037.60. The trade was a 9.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director John Greene acquired 7,000 shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $44.85 per share, with a total value of $313,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $313,950. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRSP. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP increased its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 1,000 shares of the company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $43,000. 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.