Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the nine brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $55.75.

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, August 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, August 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $57.00 target price on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.12, for a total value of $772,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 220,752 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,739,578.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 6,772 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.02, for a total transaction of $304,875.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,924.74. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.12, for a total transaction of $772,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 220,752 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,739,578.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 63,791 shares of company stock worth $3,101,269. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Vericel by 104.9% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,108 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $188,000 after buying an additional 2,103 shares during the period. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in Vericel in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $213,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in Vericel by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 26,472 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,215,000 after buying an additional 1,355 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC bought a new position in Vericel in the 2nd quarter valued at $513,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in Vericel by 9.3% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 106,911 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,905,000 after purchasing an additional 9,084 shares during the period.

Vericel Price Performance

VCEL stock opened at $43.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of -4,384.62 and a beta of 1.68. The company’s 50-day moving average is $48.49 and its 200-day moving average is $47.49. Vericel has a 1 year low of $30.18 and a 1 year high of $54.10.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.10). The company had revenue of $52.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $52.59 million. Vericel had a net margin of 0.37% and a return on equity of 0.35%. The business’s revenue was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.11) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Vericel will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Vericel

Vericel Corporation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of cellular therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care markets in North America. The company markets autologous cell therapy products comprising MACI, an autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane for the repair of symptomatic, and single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee; Epicel, a permanent skin replacement humanitarian use device for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with deep-dermal or full-thickness burns; and NexoBrid, a biological orphan product for eschar removal in adults with deep partial-thickness and/or full-thickness thermal burns.