CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) General Counsel James Kasinger Sells 3,182 Shares

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) General Counsel James Kasinger sold 3,182 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.78, for a total transaction of $148,853.96. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 94,308 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,411,728.24. This represents a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock opened at $47.09 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of -7.22 and a beta of 1.72. CRISPR Therapeutics AG has a 52-week low of $30.04 and a 52-week high of $78.48.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported ($1.37) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.15) by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $0.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.72 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 16,569.77% and a negative return on equity of 26.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 97.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($1.01) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CRISPR Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights why CRISPR “outpaced the stock market” today, calling attention to recent investor interest and momentum that can attract short-term buying. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: CRISPR has been a “trending” name on Zacks/Yahoo finance pages — elevated attention can boost volume and volatility but doesn’t by itself change fundamentals. Read More. · Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short-interest reports show reported short interest of zero shares as of March 24 — the figures appear to contain data or reporting anomalies (NaN increases). Practically, reported zero short interest reduces the likelihood of a short-squeeze narrative, but the data should be treated cautiously until clarified by exchanges or data vendors.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 10,020 shares on March 23 at an average ~$46.78 (≈$468.7K). Insider sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors despite the CEO retaining a substantial stake (255,501 shares). SEC filing: Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel James Kasinger sold 3,182 shares on March 23 at the same average price (~$46.78). Additional insider selling amplifies the negative signal for some investors, though both insiders remain significant holders. SEC filing: Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on CRSP. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $110.00 target price (up from $105.00) on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Truist Financial raised CRISPR Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citizens Jmp reduced their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. 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 two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.53.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRSP. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 59.7% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 129,567 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,302,000 after buying an additional 48,412 shares during the last quarter. Philadelphia Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $2,444,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 98.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 593,416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,459,000 after acquiring an additional 294,222 shares during the period. Nwam LLC grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 455.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 101,769 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,770,000 after acquiring an additional 83,454 shares during the period. Finally, IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 44.7% in the 3rd quarter. IQ EQ FUND MANAGEMENT IRELAND Ltd now owns 283,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,348,000 after purchasing an additional 87,509 shares in the last quarter. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.