CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Shares Down 1.9% – Time to Sell?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) shares 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 traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,252,937 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRSP has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $84.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $89.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Barclays upped their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $74.40.

CRISPR Therapeutics Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.92 and a beta of 1.67. The business’s 50-day moving average is $42.63 and its 200 day moving average is $45.84.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) earnings per share (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%. Analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 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. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 18,360 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 171,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,473,037.60. This represents a 9.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the third quarter worth $40,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. 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.