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CRSP's Q3 Loss Wider Than Expected, Sales Beat Estimates

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Key Takeaways

  • CRSP reported a wider-than-expected Q3 loss of $1.15 per share, while revenues beat estimates.
  • Casgevy sales reached $99 million, up 30% sequentially and nearly sixfold year over year.
  • CRISPR Therapeutics ended September with $2.28 billion in cash and several clinical updates ahead.

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP - Free Report) incurred a third-quarter 2026 loss of $1.15 per share, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $1.06. The company had incurred a loss of $1.17 in the year-ago quarter.

Total revenues were $12.7 million in the third quarter (comprising $12.3 million in collaboration revenues and the rest from grant revenues), which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.9 million. In the year-ago quarter, CRSP had recorded total revenues of $0.9 million, which comprised only grant revenues.

Year to date, shares of CRISPR Therapeutics have lost 4.6% against the industry’s 10.9% growth.

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CRSP Boasts Robust Casgevy Sales Momentum

CRISPR Therapeutics and partner Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ (VRTX - Free Report) CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy, Casgevy, is approved in the United States and Europe for two blood disorder indications, sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT). Per the deal terms, Vertex leads global development, manufacturing and commercialization of Casgevy and shares program costs and profits worldwide with CRISPR Therapeutics in a 60:40 ratio.

Casgevy is approved in 39 countries across North America, Europe and the Middle East for eligible patients aged 12 years and older. Five countries have also approved the therapy for younger children, expanding its potential patient population.

During the quarter, Casgevy received approval in the United Kingdom for children aged five years and older with severe SCD or TDT. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also approved the therapy for children aged two years and older. These approvals follow the FDA's July authorization for patients aged two years and older.

Vertex recorded Casgevy sales of $99 million in the third quarter of 2026, up 30% sequentially and nearly sixfold year over year, reflecting continued commercial uptake.

CRISPR Therapeutics’ Operating Expenses & Cash Position

Research and development (R&D) expenses increased 22% year over year to $71.9 million in the third quarter. The increase primarily reflected higher external R&D expenses and sublicense fees, partly offset by lower employee-related costs.

General and administrative expenses increased 5.5% to $17.9 million.

Collaboration expense, net, declined 27.7% to $41.3 million, driven by an increase in CRSP’s share of Casgevy revenues under the Vertex collaboration economics.

Acquired in-process R&D expenses totaled $11.7 million compared with no such expenses in the year-ago quarter. The latest amount primarily reflected a development milestone under the Sirius Therapeutics agreement.

CRSP exited September with $2.28 billion in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities compared with $2.36 billion at the end of June 2026. The sizeable cash position provides CRISPR Therapeutics with resources to advance its diversified clinical pipeline. Multiple clinical updates are expected before the year-end.

CRSP’s Pipeline Updates

CRISPR Therapeutics continues to prioritize CTX310, an investigational gene-editing therapy targeting ANGPTL3. The FDA recently granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation to the candidate for the treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia and refractory hypercholesterolemia.

In August, the company reported encouraging durability data from phase Ia study, showing that a single treatment with CTX310 led to sustained reductions in ANGPTL3 protein, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels for up to one year. The company plans to present phase Ib study data in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia on Nov. 9, 2026.

Meanwhile, CTX340 for refractory hypertension and CTX460 for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency are in phase I studies, while the preclinical CTX321 program, which targets elevated lipoprotein(a), is progressing through investigational new drug and clinical trial application-enabling studies.

The company is advancing Zugo-cel, CRSP’s allogeneic CAR-T candidate, across autoimmune diseases and blood cancers. The candidate is being evaluated in three ongoing phase I studies for various autoimmune conditions, including lupus, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myositis, multiple sclerosis and other immune-related disorders. Global enrollment in these studies is ongoing, and phase I data in patients with difficult-to-treat systemic sclerosis are expected later this month.

In immuno-oncology, the phase I/II study of zugo-cel in B-cell malignancies remains underway. CRSP is also evaluating zugo-cel with Eli Lilly’s Jaypirca (pirtobrutinib) in aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Several updates are expected in the remainder of 2026.

The company’s siRNA candidate, CTX611, is being evaluated in a phase II study for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. The study is enrolled, with an update expected before this year’s end.

CRSP’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

CRISPR Therapeutics currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are TG Therapeutics (TGTX - Free Report) , currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Amneal Pharmaceuticals (AMRX - Free Report) , carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Over the past 30 days, earnings per share estimates for TG Therapeutics have risen from 92 cents to 94 cents for 2026. Over the same period, estimates for 2027 earnings per share have increased from $2.65 to $2.66. TGTX’s shares have risen 101.1% year to date.

TG Therapeutics’ earnings missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and beat in the remaining one, with an average surprise of 184.65%.

Over the past 30 days, earnings per share estimates for Amneal Pharmaceuticals have increased from $1.03 to $1.04 for 2026. Over the same period, estimates for 2027 earnings per share have risen from $1.16 to $1.19. AMRX’s shares have surged 62.2% year to date.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals’ earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 32.82%.

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