CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Sell Rating

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) was upgraded by StockNews.com to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $53.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. JMP Securities restated a "market outperform" rating and set a $86.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Chardan Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $94.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $77.93.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Down 3.4 %

Shares of CRSP stock traded down $1.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $38.65. 2,182,090 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,521,467. CRISPR Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $38.20 and a 52-week high of $91.10. The company has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a PE ratio of -13.66 and a beta of 1.62. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $47.48 and a 200 day moving average of $49.76.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($1.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.42) by $0.41. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 12.15% and a negative net margin of 118.13%. 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 business posted ($1.41) earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $1,668,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 196,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,931,554.80. This represents a 13.24 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 1,089 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.28, for a total value of $50,398.92. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 62,597 shares of the company's stock, 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 ninety days, insiders sold 50,382 shares of company stock worth $2,744,179. Insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 95.5% in the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 565 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Denver PWM LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $45,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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