Is gene editing a good investment?

Investing in gene editing is a high-risk, but potentially high-reward, proposition. This could be a good investment for patient, long-term investors who are willing to take on greater risk.

Which company is the leader in gene editing?

CRISPR Therapeutics is the only gene-editing company with an approved product on the market.

What stock is the king of genetic sequencing?

Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN) most deserves the distinction of being called "the king of genetic sequencing." The company claims the top market share, by far, in genetic sequencing.

Do gene-editing companies typically pay dividends?

No, gene-editing companies typically don't pay dividends.

How do clinical trials affect gene-editing stock prices?

The results from clinical trials can significantly affect gene-editing stock prices. Positive results can cause a stock to soar, while negative results can cause shares to sink. However, sometimes clinical trial results don't move gene-editing stocks much when the expected outcomes are already largely priced in.

Should investors diversify when investing in gene-editing stocks?

Absolutely. Diversification helps reduce investing risk when investing in any type of stock. However, it's especially important when investing in gene-editing stocks because of the possibility of failure in clinical trials and in winning regulatory approvals.

Where can I find information and regular updates about the gene editing industry?

One way to stay informed about the gene-editing industry is to follow leaders such as Jennifer Doudna and Feng Zhang on X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms. You can also read articles available on websites such as CRISPR Medicine News, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy, and the Genetic Literacy Project Regulation Tracker.

Is CRISPR a good stock to invest in?

CRISPR Therapeutics could be worth considering for investors who aren't afraid to take on significant risk. Even though the company has an approved product, a major pipeline setback could cause the stock to sink.

4 Best Gene-Editing Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

By Keith Speights – Updated Sep 13, 2026 at 11:31 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Gene-editing market expected to grow to $39.8 billion by 2033.
Intellia Therapeutics and Regeneron focus on clinical trials for rare diseases.
CRISPR Therapeutics has an FDA-approved CRISPR therapy for sickle cell disease.

Gene-editing stocks are shares of biotechnology companies that focus on modifying DNA. How important are these stocks? A brief anecdote might explain it best.

In 2020, American biochemist Jennifer Doudna and French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their discovery of CRISPR-based gene-editing technology. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences summed up the significance of their discovery by saying, "This year's prize is about rewriting the code of life."

Gene-editing companies using CRISPR technology have the potential to treat and even cure diseases caused by genetic variants. CRISPR (pronounced "crisper") is an acronym for "Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats." The gene-editing market is projected to reach $39.8 billion by 2033.

Four top gene-editing stocks for 2026

These are some of the gene-editing stocks investors should have on their watch list.

Loading paragraph...

Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market capMarket cap calculated using publicly traded shares outstanding only. Does not include unlisted, private, or dual-class non-traded shares. Implied market cap may vary.	Dividend yield	Industry
Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NTLA)	$1.7 billion	0.00%	Biotechnology
CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP)	$5.1 billion	0.00%	Biotechnology
Beam Therapeutics (NASDAQ:BEAM)	$2.5 billion	0.00%	Biotechnology
Caribou Biosciences (NASDAQ:CRBU)	$138.3 million	0.00%	Biotechnology

Data as of Sep 15, 2026. Showing 4 of 4 total entries.

Loading ticker_table...

1. Intellia Therapeutics

NASDAQ: NTLA

Intellia Therapeutics

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

60/100

Today's Change

(-5.05%) $-0.60

Current Price

$11.27

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$1.7B

Day's Range

$11.24 - $11.82

52wk Range

$7.95 - $28.25

Volume

2.8M

Avg Vol

4.4M

Gross Margin

74.37%

Loading company_card...

Intellia (NTLA -4.89%) was co-founded by Jennifer Doudna in 2014. Its mission is to "develop potentially curative gene editing treatments that can positively transform the lives of people living with severe and life-threatening diseases."

In 2021, Intellia and its partner, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN -2.29%), announced the first clinical data supporting the use of in vivo (in the body) CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in humans. The two companies are now working together to evaluate nexiguran ziclumeran (formerly known as NTLA-2001) in a late-stage study targeting the rare genetic disease transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR).

Intellia also has a wholly owned late-stage candidate, lonvoguran ziclumeran (Lonvo-z). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scheduled to announce its approval decision for the experimental therapy for hereditary angioedema (HAE) by March 10, 2027.

In addition, Regeneron is evaluating a hemophilia B therapy licensed from Intellia in phase 2 clinical testing. Intellia will be eligible for milestone payments and royalties if the experimental therapy advances through clinical development and ultimately wins regulatory approval.

2. CRISPR Therapeutics

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: CRSP

CRISPR Therapeutics

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

55/100

Today's Change

(-2.66%) $-1.41

Current Price

$51.55

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$5.1B

Day's Range

$51.49 - $52.84

52wk Range

$44.12 - $78.48

Volume

836.9K

Avg Vol

1.6M

Gross Margin

-151066.31%

Loading company_card...

CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP -2.57%) was co-founded by Emmanuelle Charpentier in 2013. The company's mission is "developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious human diseases."

CRISPR Therapeutics and its big partner, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX -1.32%), became the first to win regulatory approval for a CRISPR gene-editing therapy in December 2023, with Casgevy for treating sickle cell disease. The two companies won U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval the following month for Casgevy to treat transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia.

The commercial launch of Casgevy continues to gain momentum, with Vertex leading the charge. Meanwhile, CRISPR Therapeutics is advancing several other gene-editing programs.

The company's pipeline includes an allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy in clinical testing -- zugocabtagene geleucel (zugo-cel, formerly CTX112). Allogeneic (meaning involving genetically distinct tissues or cells) CAR-T therapies are often referred to as "off-the-shelf" because they don't require a patient's own cells to be genetically edited; instead, they use cells from healthy donors.

CRISPR Therapeutics is evaluating several in vivo gene-editing therapies, four of which are in clinical studies. The company is also conducting research on other experimental therapies, including one to treat type 1 diabetes.

3. Beam Therapeutics

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: BEAM

Beam Therapeutics

Premium Feature

Moneyball Superscore

69/100

Today's Change

(-5.02%) $-1.21

Current Price

$22.91

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$2.5B

Day's Range

$22.90 - $23.84

52wk Range

$20.23 - $38.26

Volume

1.2M

Avg Vol

2.1M

Gross Margin

85.74%

Loading company_card...

Beam (BEAM -5.02%) was co-founded by David Liu and Feng Zhang in 2018 with a vision of "providing lifelong cures to patients suffering from serious diseases." It is pioneering the use of base editing -- a potential new class of precision gene editing described as a "molecular pencil" that can erase and rewrite a mutation rather than slicing it out.

In March 2026, the company announced positive updated clinical data from a Phase 1/2 study evaluating BEAM-302 in treating alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), with additional encouraging data reported in September 2026. AATD is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and/or liver and can lead to emphysema and liver disease. Beam has advanced BEAM-302 into pivotal testing, with the goal of securing FDA accelerated approval.

Beam is evaluating risto-cel (previously known as BEAM-101) in a Phase 1/2 study targeting sickle cell disease. The company hopes to file for U.S. approval of the therapy as early as late 2026. It also expects to report results in 2026 from a Phase 1/2 study of BEAM-301 for the treatment of glycogen storage disease 1a, a rare disease where a sugar called glycogen builds up and affects organs.

4. Caribou Biosciences

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: CRBU

Caribou Biosciences

Today's Change

(-1.16%) $-0.02

Current Price

$1.28

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$138M

Day's Range

$1.25 - $1.31

52wk Range

$1.25 - $3.54

Volume

1.4M

Avg Vol

1.7M

Gross Margin

74.22%

Loading company_card...

Intellia Therapeutics isn't the only gene-editing company co-founded by Jennifer Doudna. The Nobel Prize winner also co-founded Caribou Biosciences (CRBU -1.16%) in 2011, along with CRISPR gene-editing pioneers James Berger and Martin Jinek, and Caribou's CEO, Rachel Haurwitz.

Caribou has developed Cas12a chRDNA ("CRISPR hybrid RNA-DNA," pronounced "chardonnay") technology, a next-generation version of CRISPR gene editing. The company's approach uses hybrid RNA-DNA guides for DNA editing, rather than relying solely on RNA guides. This technology reduces the chances of off-target edits.

The gene-editing company's pipeline features two experimental allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cancer cell therapies in early-stage clinical trials. Vispa-cel (formerly CB-010) targets relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. CB-011 targets relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Loading paragraph...

How to buy gene-editing stocks

Open your brokerage account: Log in to your brokerage account where you handle your investments. If you don't have one yet, take a look at our favorite brokers and trading platforms to find the right one for you.
Search for the stock: Enter the ticker into the search bar to bring up the stock's trading page.
Decide how many shares to buy: Consider your investment goals and how much of your portfolio you want to allocate to this stock.
Select order type: Choose between a market order to buy at the current price or a limit order to specify the maximum price you're willing to pay.
Submit your order: Confirm the details and submit your buy order.
Review your purchase: Check your portfolio to ensure your order was filled as expected and adjust your investment strategy accordingly.

Loading paragraph...

Benefits and risks of investing in gene-editing stocks

The benefits of investing in gene-editing stocks include:

Significant long-term growth potential.
Gene editing is now a proven technology.
Potential for acquisition by larger drugmakers.
Most gene-editing stocks are available at discounted valuations compared to previous years.

While investing in gene-editing stocks can generate significant long-term returns, it also comes with several risks and challenges. These include:

High volatility.
Capital requirements could dilute the value of existing shares.
Risk of failure in clinical trials.
Risk of failure in securing regulatory approvals.
Potential reimbursement hurdles after approval.

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

The primary criterion for selecting these stocks was a focus on developing therapies using gene-editing technologies. Big drugmakers that partner with companies with gene-editing pipelines but don't develop gene-editing therapies in-house were excluded.

Size was also a consideration. Only companies with market caps of at least $200 million were included in the selection process.

The viability of the companies' gene-editing technologies was also an important factor. Preference was given to those who have programs in clinical development rather than only in preclinical trials.

Should you invest in gene-editing stocks?

Investors with a high risk tolerance who have investing horizons of at least five to 10 years and are especially interested in disruptive technologies may want to consider investing in gene-editing stocks. They should also be comfortable with binary outcomes: One clinical trial result or regulatory decision could make or break a company.

However, risk-averse investors should probably avoid gene-editing stocks. Income investors will also want to look elsewhere, as no gene-editing company currently pays a dividend.

Loading paragraph...

Investing in gene-editing stocks FAQ

Loading faq...

About the Author

Keith Speights is a contributing Motley Fool healthcare analyst covering publicly traded companies across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, technology, and marijuana. Prior to The Motley Fool, Keith was CEO of Constant Care Technology, a healthcare technology company; vice president of American HealthTech, a healthcare software company; and a director of operations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, a health insurer. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University.

TMFFishBiz

Keith Speights has positions in Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Beam Therapeutics, CRISPR Therapeutics, Intellia Therapeutics, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

4 Best Gene-Editing Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Key Points

Four top gene-editing stocks for 2026

1. Intellia Therapeutics

Key Data Points

2. CRISPR Therapeutics

Key Data Points

3. Beam Therapeutics

Key Data Points

4. Caribou Biosciences

Key Data Points

How to buy gene-editing stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in gene-editing stocks

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

Should you invest in gene-editing stocks?

Related investing topics

6 Best Healthcare Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

6 Best Health Insurance Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

5 Best Biotech Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

4 Best Pharmaceutical Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Investing in gene-editing stocks FAQ

Is gene editing a good investment?

Is gene editing a good investment?

Which company is the leader in gene editing?

Which company is the leader in gene editing?

What stock is the king of genetic sequencing?

What stock is the king of genetic sequencing?

Do gene-editing companies typically pay dividends?

Do gene-editing companies typically pay dividends?

How do clinical trials affect gene-editing stock prices?

How do clinical trials affect gene-editing stock prices?

Should investors diversify when investing in gene-editing stocks?

Should investors diversify when investing in gene-editing stocks?

Where can I find information and regular updates about the gene editing industry?

Where can I find information and regular updates about the gene editing industry?

Is CRISPR a good stock to invest in?

Is CRISPR a good stock to invest in?

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick

Premium Investing Services

Four top gene-editing stocks for 2026

How to buy gene-editing stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in gene-editing stocks

Methodology: How these stocks were chosen

Should you invest in gene-editing stocks?

6 Best Healthcare Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

6 Best Health Insurance Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

5 Best Biotech Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

4 Best Pharmaceutical Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Investing in gene-editing stocks FAQ

Is gene editing a good investment?

Is gene editing a good investment?

Which company is the leader in gene editing?

Which company is the leader in gene editing?

What stock is the king of genetic sequencing?

What stock is the king of genetic sequencing?

Do gene-editing companies typically pay dividends?

Do gene-editing companies typically pay dividends?

How do clinical trials affect gene-editing stock prices?

How do clinical trials affect gene-editing stock prices?

Should investors diversify when investing in gene-editing stocks?

Should investors diversify when investing in gene-editing stocks?

Where can I find information and regular updates about the gene editing industry?

Where can I find information and regular updates about the gene editing industry?

Is CRISPR a good stock to invest in?

Is CRISPR a good stock to invest in?

2. CRISPR Therapeutics

3. Beam Therapeutics

4. Caribou Biosciences

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points