CRISPR Therapeutics AG $CRSP Shares Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management dramatically increased its CRISPR Therapeutics stake in Q4, boosting holdings by 2,346.7% to 230,305 shares worth about $12.1 million.
• Other institutional investors also added to positions, and hedge funds and institutions now own about 69.2% of CRSP shares, showing continued strong professional interest in the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally positive: CRISPR Therapeutics has a Moderate Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $65.47, while several firms recently adjusted ratings and targets.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Free Report) by 2,346.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 230,305 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 220,892 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned about 0.24% of CRISPR Therapeutics worth $12,077,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRSP. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd raised its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 76.9% during the second 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 last quarter. SR One Capital Management LP raised its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 94.4% during the third quarter. SR One Capital Management LP now owns 2,038,763 shares of the company's stock worth $132,132,000 after acquiring an additional 989,812 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 35.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,270,596 shares of the company's stock worth $159,082,000 after acquiring an additional 859,334 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 98.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 593,416 shares of the company's stock worth $38,459,000 after acquiring an additional 294,222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 7.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 2,524,144 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,366,000 after buying an additional 180,580 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CRSP. 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 research report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Truist Financial raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.47.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,150 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.26, for a total value of $152,019.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 13,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $634,281.18. This represents a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 3,182 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total transaction of $148,853.96. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 94,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,411,728.24. This represents a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 42,749 shares of company stock valued at $2,100,723 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of CRSP stock opened at $49.90 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.81 billion, a PE ratio of -8.02 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $50.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.28. The company has a current ratio of 17.97, a quick ratio of 17.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. CRISPR Therapeutics AG has a twelve month low of $35.38 and a twelve month high of $78.48.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.46 million during the quarter. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 13,856.54% and a negative return on equity of 25.66%. Equities research analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRISPR Therapeutics Profile

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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