CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Stock Price Up 4.5%

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) rose 4.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $58.68 and last traded at $58.15. Approximately 391,733 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 1,814,702 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRSP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $61.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, TheStreet raised CRISPR Therapeutics from a “d+” rating to a “c” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CRISPR Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $76.29.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $71.75 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.80.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 21st. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.95. The firm had revenue of $201.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $148.72 million. The company’s revenue was up 3253.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($1.41) EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -6.24 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.51, for a total value of $3,025,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 187,377 shares in the company, valued at $11,338,182.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.51, for a total value of $3,025,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 187,377 shares in the company, valued at $11,338,182.27. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 1,913 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.67, for a total value of $152,408.71. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 57,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,570,747.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 133,992 shares of company stock worth $9,157,835. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CWM LLC grew its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 80.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 582 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 545.5% in the third quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Bourgeon Capital Management LLC grew its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 1,000.0% in the fourth quarter. Bourgeon Capital Management LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.