CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Shares Up 6.6% – Still a Buy?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP)’s stock price was up 6.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $60.44 and last traded at $60.8750. 254,694 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 1,775,483 shares. The stock had previously closed at $57.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CRSP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $76.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, May 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $55.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group set a $80.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Friday, June 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.06.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Down 2.7%

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a PE ratio of -12.44 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a current ratio of 17.85, a quick ratio of 17.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $53.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.60.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported ($0.94) earnings per share for the quarter. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 24.39% and a negative net margin of 3,368.72%.The business had revenue of $10.18 million for the quarter. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total transaction of $210,577.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 19,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,076,636.34. This trade represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 175.1% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 465 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 836.7% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oakworth Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

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.