CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Hits New 1-Year Low - Time to Sell?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $40.61 and last traded at $41.06, with a volume of 2372453 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $44.63.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CRSP. StockNews.com upgraded CRISPR Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays reduced their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Chardan Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $94.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $53.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $84.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $77.93.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.45 billion, a PE ratio of -14.27 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $48.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.89.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($1.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.42) by $0.41. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 118.13% and a negative return on equity of 12.15%. The company had revenue of $0.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($1.41) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.10, for a total value of $826,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 181,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,002,854. This represents a 7.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 1,089 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.28, for a total transaction of $50,398.92. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 62,597 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,989.16. The trade was a 1.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 50,382 shares of company stock worth $2,744,179. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 12.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,097 shares of the company's stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 8,317 shares of the company's stock worth $398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,258 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 11.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 2,955 shares of the company's stock worth $139,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,008,214 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,383,000 after purchasing an additional 35,196 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics Company Profile

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.