** J.P. Morgan upgrades gene therapy maker bluebird bio BLUE.O to "neutral" from "underweight" rating, citing co's announcement that it would be taken private

** Brokerage expects co's privatization to take place within 1H25

** BLUE says it will be taken private by Carlyle CG.O and SK Capital Partners

** 1 of 8 brokerages rate BLUE stock "buy", 7 "hold"; their median PT is $10 - LSEG data

** As of last close, stock down ~51.1% YTD

(Reporting by Prakhar Srivastava in Bengaluru)

((Prakhar.srivastava2@thomsonreuters.com))