Leonteq Securities AG Makes New Investment in CRISPR Therapeutics AG $CRSP

Key Points

• Leonteq Securities AG initiated a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter, buying 22,020 shares worth about $1.155 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with several large investors significantly increasing their CRSP holdings; overall, institutions now own 69.20% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but generally positive: CRISPR Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.47, though some firms still rate it as a sell or hold.

Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 22,020 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,155,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CRSP. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 76.9% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. SR One Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 94.4% during the 3rd quarter. SR One Capital Management LP now owns 2,038,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,132,000 after purchasing an additional 989,812 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 35.6% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,270,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,082,000 after buying an additional 859,334 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 98.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 593,416 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,459,000 after buying an additional 294,222 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 2,346.7% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 230,305 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,077,000 after buying an additional 220,892 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 3,182 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $148,853.96. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 94,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,411,728.24. The trade was a 3.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 13,143 shares in the company, valued at $634,281.18. The trade was a 19.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 42,749 shares of company stock worth $2,100,723. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CRSP shares. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Monday, April 20th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Chardan Capital raised their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Truist Financial upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. One research 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 given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $65.47.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Up 2.8%

NASDAQ CRSP opened at $49.90 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.02 and a beta of 1.74. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $50.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 17.96 and a current ratio of 17.97. CRISPR Therapeutics AG has a 52 week low of $35.38 and a 52 week high of $78.48.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported ($1.28) EPS 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CRISPR Therapeutics Company 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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