Gene editing was supposed to be one of the great investing stories of the decade, and CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) delivered a scientific first when its sickle cell treatment, Casgevy, won approval. The stock closed at $50.50 on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, according to StockAnalysis, about half its price of five years ago.
At that price, $5,000 buys about 99 shares. Instead of running generic growth rates through a calculator, we built four hypothetical 10-year scenarios from CRISPR's own numbers: its price history, Wall Street's targets, its Casgevy and heart-disease ambitions, and what comparable biotechs are worth. None of them is our prediction.
What could $5,000 in CRISPR Therapeutics be worth in 10 years?
Nobody knows. Built from CRISPR's own data, our four hypothetical scenarios put $5,000 invested at $50.50 anywhere from about $682, if the stock repeats its worst slide, to about $82,000 if it someday reaches the size of partner Vertex. The analyst-based case lands near $8,500. These are illustrations, not forecasts.
How the stock has done so far
CRISPR priced its initial public offering at $14 a share on Oct. 19, 2016, Nasdaq reported. At $50.50, that is about 3.6 times the IPO price, a compound annual growth rate, or CAGR (the steady yearly return that gets you from start to finish), of roughly 13.7% a year over 10 years. Recent buyers fared far worse: the stock closed at $98.37 on Oct. 20, 2021, per Yahoo Finance, so $5,000 invested then is worth about $2,567, a CAGR of about −12.5% a year.
The swings have been enormous. Shares hit an all-time high of $220.20 on Jan. 15, 2021, during the pandemic biotech boom, then fell as low as $30.04 in April 2025, according to Stockscan. That 86% peak-to-trough drop is its biggest drawdown, and today's price is still about 77% below the peak.
What CRISPR does and what Wall Street expects
CRISPR edits DNA, the genetic instructions inside cells. Partner Vertex leads Casgevy's sales and splits its profits and costs 60/40 with CRISPR. Casgevy sales hit $76 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 151% from a year earlier, and the FDA cleared it for children as young as 2, which could make about 5,500 more patients eligible, Vertex said. A Vertex executive has described Casgevy's "multi-billion-dollar potential," Precision Medicine Online reported.
CRISPR itself is far from profitable. In its second-quarter report it posted a $91.2 million net loss and held $2.36 billion in cash and securities, helped by $585.4 million raised through convertible notes in March. Over the past 12 months it lost $451.1 million, carried $783.8 million of debt and increased its…
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Compound growth estimate
Estimated total
$17,175
Your contributions
$13,000
This is an estimate, not a prediction. Monthly compounding; taxes, fees and inflation are excluded.
This article is for educational purposes only and isn't personalized financial, tax or legal advice. Consider talking with a qualified professional about your situation.
Kiara Miller — Founder & Editor
Kiara Miller is the founder and editor of The Evergreen Edit. He has been doing independent finance research for two decades and reviews every article before it's published.
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