CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $65.4706.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CRSP shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Chardan Capital upped their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 14th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 10,020 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $468,735.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 255,501 shares in the company, valued at $11,952,336.78. This represents a 3.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $210,577.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 19,357 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,076,636.34. The trade was a 16.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 46,535 shares of company stock worth $2,311,300 in the last quarter. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 836.7% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 196.9% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 71.4% during the 3rd quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 504 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Down 9.0%

CRSP stock opened at $51.84 on Friday. CRISPR Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $39.58 and a 12 month high of $78.48. The firm has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a PE ratio of -8.33 and a beta of 1.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $52.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $53.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 17.97 and a quick ratio of 17.96.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its quarterly 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -4.92 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.