We expect CRISPR Therapeutics CRSP to surpass expectations when it reports first-quarter 2026 results. The company’s earnings missed estimates by 19.13% in the last reported quarter.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly sales is pegged at $8.39 million, while that for earnings is pinned at a loss of $1.14 per share. Both metrics indicate improvement over the year-ago period.
Factors Likely to Shape CRSP’s Upcoming Results
CRISPR Therapeutics’ top line currently includes grants and collaboration revenues from its partnership with pharma giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals VRTX.
The company and Vertex’s one-shot gene therapy, Casgevy, is approved for two blood disorders, namely sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia (TDT), across the United States and Europe. This therapy is the first and currently the only marketed product in CRISPR Therapeutics’ portfolio.
Per the collaboration agreement, VRTX leads global development, manufacturing and commercialization, and splits program costs and profits in a 60:40 ratio with the company. CRSP records its share of Casgevy sales as an adjustment to collaboration expenses (net) rather than as direct revenues. Sales of the gene therapy have been rising in recent quarters, likely leading to lower collaboration expenses in the to-be-reported quarter.
Investors are likely to have looked for updates on the global regulatory submissions, planned for the first half of 2026, seeking label expansion for Casgevy in patients aged 5-11 years with SCD and TDT. For the FDA submission, Vertex intends to use the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher to significantly cut down the review period to just 1-2 months.
Following the success of Casgevy, which is an ex vivo therapy, the company has shifted focus toward in vivo candidates. CRISPR Therapeutics is currently evaluating its first in vivo candidate CTX310 — designed to target ANGPTL3 for cardiovascular disease — in an early-stage clinical study. It plans to expand this pipeline with additional candidates, including CTX340 for refractory hypertension and CTX460 for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD). Investors are likely to have been watching for updates on study initiation timelines, which management previously indicated could begin by the end of this year.
CRSP’s Earnings Surprise History
The biotech firm’s performance has been mixed over the past four quarters. Its earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the mark on the other two occasions, delivering a negative average surprise of 4.99%.
CRISPR Therapeutics AG Price and EPS Surprise
CRISPR Therapeutics AG price-eps-surprise | CRISPR Therapeutics AG Quote
Year to date, CRISPR’s shares have lost 5% compared with the industry’s 1% decline.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What Our Model Predicts for CRSP
Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for CRISPR Therapeutics this time around. The combinationofa positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. This is the case here, as you will see below. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Earnings ESP: CRISPR Therapeutics has an Earnings ESP of +28.88%. The Most Accurate Estimate stands at a loss of 81 cents per share, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at a loss of $1.14.
Zacks Rank: CRSP currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Other Stocks With the Favorable Combinations
Here are some other drug/biotech stocks that have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this time around:
Agenus AGEN has an Earnings ESP of +7.69% and a Zacks Rank #1 at present.
Shares of AGEN have risen about 24% year to date. The company’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, while missing the mark on the other two occasions. Agenus delivered an average surprise of 31.42%.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals INO has an Earnings ESP of +3.33% and a Zacks Rank #2 at present.
Shares of INO have lost 34% year to date. The company’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 57.94%.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power.
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Agenus Inc. (AGEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
CRISPR Therapeutics AG (CRSP) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
