CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Stock Price Up 1.2% Following Insider Buying Activity

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP)’s stock price rose 1.2% on Friday following insider buying activity. The stock traded as high as $44.29 and last traded at $44.16. Approximately 534,286 shares changed hands during mid-day 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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $44.85 per share, for a total transaction of $313,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 7,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $313,950. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CRSP has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on CRISPR Therapeutics from $53.00 to $49.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen upgraded CRISPR Therapeutics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $35.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Chardan Capital lowered their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $94.00 to $84.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on CRISPR Therapeutics from $53.00 to $48.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CRISPR Therapeutics has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.40.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $42.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.95. The company has a market capitalization of $3.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.05 and a beta of 1.67.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. Research analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.16 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $71,000. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 108.6% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,165 shares of the company’s stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 3,210 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 690,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,166,000 after purchasing an additional 13,865 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 101,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,999,000 after purchasing an additional 1,600 shares during the last quarter. 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.