CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Truist Financial

Truist Financial upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Citizens Jmp reduced their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $86.00 to $80.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Chardan Capital lifted their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRISPR Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $64.53.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock opened at $47.09 on Wednesday. CRISPR Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $30.04 and a twelve month high of $78.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $52.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.95. The firm has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a PE ratio of -7.22 and a beta of 1.72.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported ($1.37) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.15) by ($0.22). CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 26.31% and a negative net margin of 16,569.77%.The business had revenue of $0.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.72 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($1.01) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 97.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.16 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related 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 transaction of $148,853.96. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 94,308 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,411,728.24. The trade was a 3.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.26, for a total value of $152,019.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 13,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $634,281.18. This represents a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 141,828 shares of company stock valued at $7,744,397 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 836.7% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring 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 worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CRISPR Therapeutics News Roundup

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.

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.