CRISPR Therapeutics Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:CRSP)

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) was the target of unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock traders bought 7,023 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 85% compared to the average daily volume of 3,806 call options.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Up 5.3%

CRSP stock traded up $2.93 during trading on Thursday, reaching $58.55. 1,631,651 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,822,734. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $52.62 and its 200 day moving average is $53.00. The firm has a market cap of $5.65 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.44 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a current ratio of 17.97, a quick ratio of 17.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. CRISPR Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $44.12 and a twelve month high of $78.48.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported ($1.28) EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.46 million during the quarter. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 13,856.54% and a negative return on equity of 25.66%. As a group, research analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -4.89 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded CRISPR Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Citigroup reiterated a “market outperform” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group set a $80.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Truist Financial raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $76.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $210,577.32. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 19,357 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,076,636.34. The trade was a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 4.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ARK Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 10,522,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $551,777,000 after buying an additional 735,084 shares during the last quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd grew its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 19.4% during the fourth quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 5,950,145 shares of the company’s stock valued at $312,026,000 after buying an additional 968,060 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 5,892,745 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,016,000 after acquiring an additional 243,487 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 35.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,270,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,082,000 after acquiring an additional 859,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSK plc acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $168,890,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.