CRSP vs RARE: How CRISPR Therapeutics AG and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Compare (2026)

Last updated July 2026

Short answer

CRSP is the larger of the two ($4.66B market cap): the incumbent the market prices for continued execution (-12.16x forward earnings, beta 1.70). RARE is the smaller challenger ($2.55B), priced similarly on forward earnings (8.28x): more room to run, but more to prove. The real question is which set of drivers you believe, and whether owning one (or both) leaves you over-concentrated.

CRSP vs RARE: the tie-breaker metrics

Same yardstick, side by side (as of July 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

MetricCRSPRAREWhat it tells you
Market cap$4.66B$2.55BSize. The larger name is the incumbent; the smaller has more room to grow and more to prove.
Forward P/E-12.168.28Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up.
Beta1.700.31Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through.
Price vs 52-week range9% of range35% of rangeWhere today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why.

Before you buy: how CRSP and RARE affect your concentration

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. CRSP and RARE share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined CRSP and RARE exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

What does CRISPR Therapeutics AG (CRSP) do?

CRISPR Therapeutics AG is a Swiss-American biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with principal research operations in Boston, Massachusetts. The company uses its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform to develop gene-based medicines across hemoglobinopathies, oncology, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune conditions, and regenerative medicine. Its first and only commercialized product, Casgevy, is co-developed and co-commercialized with Vertex Pharmaceuticals under a 40/60 profit-sharing structure in which CRISPR retains 40 percent of profits. Revenue has historically been driven by collaboration milestone payments from Vertex rather than product sales, making the financial profile highly lumpy. Beyond Casgevy, the company generates no meaningful product revenue today and funds operations through its cash reserves.

Full CRSP guide

What does Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (RARE) do?

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: RARE) develops and sells treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, conditions with small patient populations and often no approved therapy. Its commercial base includes Crysvita for X-linked hypophosphatemia (its largest product), Dojolvi for long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders, Evkeeza, and Mepsevii, which together produced about $673 million of revenue in 2025. The company spans multiple modalities, protein-replacement, small molecule, antisense, and gene therapy, and is preparing several late-stage programs for potential approval.

Full RARE guide

CRSP vs RARE: how do they differ?

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

  • CRSP drivers: First-Mover Advantage in Commercial Gene Editing; Casgevy's Long-Term Revenue Potential.
  • RARE drivers: Near-term gene therapy approvals; Angelman syndrome readout.

Which fits which kind of investor

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The commercial ramp of Casgevy has been far slower than early projections, with the therapy generating only approximately $3.5 million in revenue in all of 2025, down sharply from prior years that were boosted by one-time milestone payments. For RARE, ultragenyx remains unprofitable, with a net loss of about $575 million in 2025 and roughly $737 million of cash as of December 2025, so continued spending or delayed approvals could pressure the balance sheet and raise dilution or financing risk.

CRSP or RARE: which should you pick?

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick CRSP if you believe its drivers more; RARE if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the CRSP and RARE guides.

CRSP vs RARE: the full fundamentals

CRSP. Because CRISPR Therapeutics has no meaningful product profits yet, traditional earnings-based valuation multiples like P/E are negative and not analytically useful. The company is better evaluated on its cash runway, the pace of Casgevy's commercial adoption, and the risk-adjusted value of its pipeline. Enterprise value of roughly $2.8 billion (market cap less net cash) reflects the market pricing in significant execution uncertainty around both the Casgevy ramp and the broader pipeline, while a wide spread exists between bearish analyst targets near $33 and optimistic targets above $80.

RARE. Ultragenyx trades at a modest multiple of revenue for a biopharma but has no earnings, so conventional P/E valuation does not apply. The market is effectively pricing the pipeline and the credibility of the 2027 profitability goal. Guidance for 2026 revenue is $730 million to $760 million, which excludes any potential new product launches.

Headline figures (approximate, June 27, 2026 (data reflects most recently available reports through mid-2026)): CRSP shows revenue (full year 2025, product only) ~$3.5 million, revenue (full year 2024) ~$37.3 million (primarily collaboration revenue), net loss (ttm through q3 2025) ~$488 million, operating loss (full year 2025) ~$665 million; RARE shows revenue (ttm) ~$670M, fy2025 revenue ~$673M (up ~20%), q1 2026 revenue ~$136M, fy2025 net loss ~$575M.

The bottom line: CRSP vs RARE

CRSP and RARE are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined CRSP and RARE exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Investing in CRISPR Therapeutics AG with AI

Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how CRSP fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.

FAQ

What is the difference between CRSP and RARE?

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CRISPR Therapeutics AG is a Swiss-American biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with principal research operations in Boston, Massachusetts. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ: RARE) develops and sells treatments for rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, conditions with small patient populations and often no approved therapy. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.

Is CRSP or RARE the better stock?

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Neither is universally better. CRSP is the larger incumbent; RARE is the smaller challenger and looks pricier on forward earnings. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.

Which is cheaper, CRSP or RARE?

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On forward P/E (as of July 2026), CRSP trades at -12.16x and RARE at 8.28x, so CRSP is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.

Should you own both CRSP and RARE?

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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.

What are the risks of CRSP vs RARE?

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CRSP: The commercial ramp of Casgevy has been far slower than early projections, with the therapy generating only approximately $3.5 million in revenue in all of 2025, down sharply from prior years that were boosted by one-time milestone payments. The expiration of CRISPR's cost-deferral agreement with Vertex drove collaboration expenses up roughly 77 percent year over year in 2025, contributing to a full-year operating loss of approximately $665 million, and the company must repay around $222 million in previously deferred costs before net cash flows from Casgevy accrue to CRSP shareholders. Competing gene-editing and cell-therapy platforms from Intellia Therapeutics, Beam Therapeutics, and large pharmaceutical companies pursuing in vivo approaches could erode CRSP's differentiation over time. The stock also carries high short interest, above 22 percent of shares outstanding as of recent data, reflecting meaningful institutional skepticism about the pace of the commercial ramp. RARE: Ultragenyx remains unprofitable, with a net loss of about $575 million in 2025 and roughly $737 million of cash as of December 2025, so continued spending or delayed approvals could pressure the balance sheet and raise dilution or financing risk. The value concentrated in binary regulatory and clinical events (DTX401, UX111, and especially the GTX-102 Angelman readout) means a single negative outcome could sharply move the stock. Rare-disease revenue depends on small patient counts, payer reimbursement, and diagnosis rates, all of which can disappoint. The company faces well-capitalized competitors in gene therapy and orphan drugs, including BioMarin, Sarepta, and larger players. Finally, the 2027 profitability target is a management objective, not a guarantee, and could slip.

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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell CRSP or RARE; figures are approximate and dated (as of July 2026). Verify current data before investing.

    CRSP vs RARE: How CRISPR Therapeutics AG and Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Compare (2026), Walnut