CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Shares Up 0.9% – Still a Buy?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP)’s stock price was up 0.9% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $44.27 and last traded at $43.72. Approximately 352,232 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 2,230,294 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.31.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on CRSP. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and issued a $86.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $89.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $66.00 to $57.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.11.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.40 and a beta of 1.67. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $42.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.82.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.15) by $0.71. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 18.46% and a negative net margin of 981.54%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, Director John Greene acquired 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $44.85 per share, with a total value of $313,950.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $313,950. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 18,360 shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total value of $1,013,472.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 171,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,473,037.60. The trade was a 9.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CRSP. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter worth $40,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

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.