CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Shares Down 1.9% - Here's Why

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 1.9% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $41.53 and last traded at $43.02. Approximately 311,635 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,252,937 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRSP has been the topic of several recent research reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and set a $84.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America cut their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $98.00 to $85.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $53.00 to $49.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $73.11.

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CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.42 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $42.79 and a 200 day moving average of $45.74.

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

Insider Transactions at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, Director John Greene purchased 7,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $44.85 per share, with a total value of $313,950.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at $313,950. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 18,360 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.20, for a total value of $1,013,472.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $71,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 108.6% in the fourth quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,165 shares of the company's stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 3,210 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 690,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,166,000 after purchasing an additional 13,865 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.