CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Stock Price Up 2.1%

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 2.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $55.50 and last traded at $55.03. Approximately 422,939 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average daily volume of 1,784,375 shares. The stock had previously closed at $53.91.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CRSP shares. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $57.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Barclays upped their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $61.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from a "d+" rating to a "c" rating in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.29.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $70.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.08. The stock has a market cap of $4.65 billion, a PE ratio of -27.97 and a beta of 1.76.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $1.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.95. The business had revenue of $201.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($1.41) earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3253.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -6.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.36, for a total transaction of $1,607,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 187,377 shares in the company, valued at $15,057,615.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, CFO Raju Prasad sold 3,524 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.69, for a total value of $256,159.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,476 shares in the company, valued at $470,740.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.36, for a total value of $1,607,200.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 187,377 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,057,615.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 83,992 shares of company stock valued at $6,132,335. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 1,000.0% during the 4th quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 80.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 582 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 257.6% in the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 608 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

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.