KBC Group NV Acquires 113,997 Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG $CRSP

KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) by 3,999.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 116,847 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 113,997 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.12% of CRISPR Therapeutics worth $5,558,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CRSP. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 28.2% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 142,696 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,856,000 after purchasing an additional 31,392 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in CRISPR Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at approximately $861,000. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 34.3% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 136,483 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,645,000 after purchasing an additional 34,883 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in CRISPR Therapeutics by 138.4% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 66,648 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,242,000 after acquiring an additional 38,691 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 69.20% of the company’s stock.

CRISPR Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of CRSP opened at $47.53 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.58 billion, a PE ratio of -7.64 and a beta of 1.71. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.69 and a 200-day moving average of $52.76. CRISPR Therapeutics AG has a one year low of $44.12 and a one year high of $78.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 17.97 and a quick ratio of 17.96.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 13,856.54% and a negative return on equity of 25.66%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 million during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -4.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CRISPR Therapeutics news, insider Naimish Patel sold 3,786 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $210,577.32. Following the sale, the insider owned 19,357 shares in the company, valued at $1,076,636.34. This represents a 16.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on CRSP shares. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Monday, May 11th. UBS Group set a $80.00 price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from $50.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CRISPR Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, July 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.78.

CRISPR Therapeutics Profile

CRISPR Therapeutics AG is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of gene-editing therapies based on the CRISPR/Cas9 platform. The company applies its proprietary technology to modify genes in human cells, aiming to create durable treatments for a range of serious diseases. Its research and development efforts focus on both ex vivo and in vivo applications, enabling targeted correction or disruption of disease-causing genes.

Among its lead programs is CTX001, an ex vivo edited cell therapy designed to treat sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent ?-thalassemia in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals.