CRISPR Therapeutics Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:CRSP)

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 13,128 call options on the company. This is an increase of 59% compared to the typical daily volume of 8,282 call options.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 15,000 shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.10, for a total transaction of $826,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 181,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,002,854. The trade was a 7.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CRSP. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP grew its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 1,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $70,000. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of 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. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $66.00 to $57.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.40.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

CRSP traded up $2.57 on Tuesday, hitting $52.29. 6,020,362 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,335,658. The business’s fifty day moving average is $41.89 and its 200 day moving average is $45.98. CRISPR Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $36.52 and a fifty-two week high of $91.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of -18.48 and a beta of 1.67.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported ($0.44) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.15) by $0.71. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 118.13% and a negative return on equity of 12.15%. Analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.