CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Trading Up 7.2% - Still a Buy?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 7.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $49.75 and last traded at $49.74. 1,094,287 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 24% from the average session volume of 1,442,206 shares. The stock had previously closed at $46.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CRSP shares. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $67.00 to $59.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Rodman & Renshaw began coverage on CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $60.00 to $53.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Chardan Capital dropped their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $112.00 to $94.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded CRISPR Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $75.19.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.18 and a beta of 1.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $47.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.44.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported ($1.49) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.43) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $0.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.31 million. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 99.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.98) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 4,293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.28, for a total transaction of $198,680.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 226,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,484,271.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 1,089 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,989.16. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 4,293 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.28, for a total transaction of $198,680.04. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 226,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,484,271.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Global Trust Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 150.0% during the second quarter. Global Trust Asset Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 95.5% during the second quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 565 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC lifted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 99.7% during the 2nd quarter. GPS Wealth Strategies Group LLC now owns 615 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 66.7% in the 1st quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 500 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. 69.20% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

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.