CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Trading Down 3.9% - Should You Sell?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) fell 3.9% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $40.82 and last traded at $41.63. 586,834 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 2,241,707 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on CRSP shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $86.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $98.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $35.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.11.

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CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Up 1.7 %

The company has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of -9.80 and a beta of 1.77. The company's fifty day moving average is $43.06 and its 200-day moving average is $45.55.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, Director John Greene bought 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $44.85 per share, for a total transaction of $313,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $313,950. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 18,360 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 32,381 shares of company stock worth $1,608,243. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Market Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $461,000. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 2,047.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 60,514 shares of the company's stock worth $2,382,000 after purchasing an additional 57,696 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 3.6% during the third 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. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 25.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,992,988 shares of the company's stock worth $140,611,000 after buying an additional 599,304 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ARK Investment Management LLC increased its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 19.7% in the 4th quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 8,973,064 shares of the company's stock worth $353,180,000 after acquiring an additional 1,474,439 shares during the last quarter. 69.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.