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

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $64.5294.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $74.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Friday, February 13th. Bank of America cut their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $90.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC raised their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 3,182 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $148,853.96. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 94,308 shares in the company, valued at $4,411,728.24. The trade was a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 10,020 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total value of $468,735.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 255,501 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,952,336.78. The trade was a 3.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 141,828 shares of company stock valued at $7,744,397. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRSP. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position 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. lifted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 196.9% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRISPR Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of CRSP opened at $45.75 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.02 and a beta of 1.71. CRISPR Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $30.04 and a 52 week high of $78.48. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $52.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $56.88.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The company reported ($1.37) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.15) by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $0.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.72 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 26.31% and a negative net margin of 16,569.77%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 97.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($1.01) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.16 EPS 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.