CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) Short Interest Down 6.4% in November

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 18,150,000 shares, a decrease of 6.4% from the November 15th total of 19,390,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,430,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 12.7 days.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CRSP traded up $0.30 on Tuesday, hitting $44.54. 781,536 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,505,787. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $48.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.10. CRISPR Therapeutics has a one year low of $42.86 and a one year high of $91.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.69 and a beta of 1.62.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($1.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.42) by $0.41. The company had revenue of $0.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.65 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 12.15% and a negative net margin of 118.13%. During the same period last year, the business earned ($1.41) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that CRISPR Therapeutics will post -5.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In related news, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 1,089 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.28, for a total value of $50,398.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 62,597 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,989.16. This trade represents a 1.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 15,000 shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 181,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,002,854. This trade represents a 7.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 50,382 shares of company stock valued at $2,744,179 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CRISPR Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CRSP. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 743.1% in the third quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 843,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,608,000 after buying an additional 743,075 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 25.0% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,992,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $140,611,000 after purchasing an additional 599,304 shares during the period. Farallon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $28,625,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $10,078,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in CRISPR Therapeutics by 472.9% in the second quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 77,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,193,000 after purchasing an additional 64,076 shares during the period. 69.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Chardan Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $94.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $77.93.

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.