Virtu Financial LLC Makes New Investment in CRISPR Therapeutics AG $CRSP

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC recently acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics AG, buying 14,014 shares valued at approximately $477,000.
• The company's latest earnings report showed a loss of ($1.29) earnings per share, which was better than the expected loss of ($1.47), but revenue fell short of estimates at $0.89 million.
• Analysts have mixed views on CRISPR's stock, with target price adjustments ranging from $47.00 to $86.00, reflecting a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.60.

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 14,014 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $477,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. ARK Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 10,165,400 shares of the company's stock worth $345,929,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192,336 shares during the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 55.1% in the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,308,011 shares of the company's stock worth $51,483,000 after purchasing an additional 464,936 shares during the period. B & T Capital Management DBA Alpha Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $416,000. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 14.3% during the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 39,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,334,000 after purchasing an additional 4,914 shares during the period. Finally, Green Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 132.9% during the first quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 57,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,952,000 after purchasing an additional 32,732 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ CRSP traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $58.35. 1,247,937 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,617,325. CRISPR Therapeutics AG has a 12 month low of $30.04 and a 12 month high of $71.13. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $53.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.46. The company has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a PE ratio of -10.77 and a beta of 1.80.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported ($1.29) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $0.18. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 20.05% and a negative net margin of 1,229.43%. The business had revenue of $0.89 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.44 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.49) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 72.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, Director Simeon George purchased 989,812 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $52.03 per share, with a total value of $51,499,918.36. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,730,179 shares in the company, valued at $90,021,213.37. This trade represents a 133.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,932 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total value of $141,316.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 6,068 shares in the company, valued at $218,083.92. The trade was a 39.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRSP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $38.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $42.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.60.

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.