CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Stock Price Up 8% After Analyst Upgrade

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP)’s share price shot up 8% during trading on Friday after TD Cowen raised their price target on the stock from $40.00 to $45.00. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the stock. CRISPR Therapeutics traded as high as $52.78 and last traded at $52.85. 415,556 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 1,723,382 shares. The stock had previously closed at $48.93.

Several other research firms have also recently commented on CRSP. Citizens Jmp cut their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Chardan Capital decreased their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $82.00 to $74.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $90.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.35.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.23, for a total value of $3,613,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 134,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,082,926.23. This represents a 30.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting CRISPR Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting CRISPR Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Casgevy commercial momentum—management highlighted that Casgevy generated about $54M in Q4 and $116M for full‑year 2025, supporting the view that adoption for the company’s approved SCD/TDT therapy is expanding and producing meaningful sales. CRISPR Therapeutics Spotlights Momentum For Lead Gene Therapy As Adoption Widens
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price‑target lift—Needham raised its price target to $82 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling institutional conviction that shares have upside on continued commercial execution. CRSP Price Target Raised by Needham
• Neutral Sentiment: Official business update and results—CRISPR published its Q4 and full‑year 2025 results and a business update emphasizing pipeline progress and upcoming label expansion plans; this is informative for longer‑term thesis but contains limited near‑term financial guidance. CRISPR Therapeutics Provides Business Update and Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive retail narrative—an upbeat Fool feature framed the company as a “blastoff‑ready” biotech pick for 2026, which can boost retail buying interest but is opinion‑driven. The Blastoff-Ready Biotech Stock You’ll Kick Yourself for Not Buying in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data appears anomalous—recent reports show short interest listed as 0 shares (likely a reporting/data issue), so short‑interest signaling is unclear and should be treated cautiously.
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly miss and wider loss—CRSP reported Q4 EPS of ($1.37) versus consensus ($1.15) and revenue of $0.86M versus $4.72M expected; revenue fell sharply year‑over‑year, underscoring near‑term financial pressure and a negative margin/earnings backdrop. CRSP Posts Wider-Than-Expected Loss in Q4, Sales Miss Estimates

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 71.4% in the third quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Thompson Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. Strategic Advocates LLC bought a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 836.7% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the period. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Up 8.5%

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $57.36. The firm has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.14 and a beta of 1.72.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported ($1.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.15) by ($0.22). CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 26.69% and a negative net margin of 16,569.77%.The firm had revenue of $0.86 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.72 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($1.01) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 97.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

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.