CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) Short Interest Update

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 19,100,000 shares, an increase of 5.4% from the December 15th total of 18,120,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 11.4 days.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $1,668,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 196,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,931,554.80. This represents a 13.24 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of CRSP. Hedges Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC now owns 24,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $958,000 after buying an additional 1,188 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $80,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 12,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP purchased a new position in CRISPR Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $297,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 9.2% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 44,305 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,737 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on CRSP shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $53.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $84.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $98.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $86.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Chardan Capital reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $94.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $78.38.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of CRSP stock traded up $0.23 on Monday, reaching $40.53. 1,367,550 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,559,954. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $45.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.08. The company has a market capitalization of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.32 and a beta of 1.68. CRISPR Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $36.52 and a twelve month high of $91.10.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($1.01) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.42) by $0.41. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 118.13% and a negative return on equity of 12.15%. The firm had revenue of $0.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.41) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

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.