CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Trading Up 1.2% on Insider Buying Activity

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) was up 1.2% during trading on Friday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The company traded as high as $44.29 and last traded at $44.16. Approximately 534,286 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 2,315,428 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.62.

Specifically, Director John Greene purchased 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $44.85 per share, with a total value of $313,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $313,950. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CRSP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $89.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $100.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $84.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, CRISPR Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.40.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $3.77 billion, a PE ratio of -10.05 and a beta of 1.67. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.49 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.95.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.15) by $0.71. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 981.54% and a negative return on equity of 18.46%. On average, analysts expect that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CRSP. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $1,825,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 21.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,000 after purchasing an additional 545 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. bought a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth $188,000. HM Payson & Co. raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 115.7% in the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 2,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 65,768 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,090,000 after acquiring an additional 1,788 shares in the last quarter. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.