Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Receives $61.14 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) have been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $61.14.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VCEL shares. Stephens raised shares of Vericel to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. BTIG Research boosted their price objective on Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Vericel from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th.

Vericel Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of VCEL opened at $58.67 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $56.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.84. The company has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 978.00 and a beta of 1.72. Vericel has a 52 week low of $37.35 and a 52 week high of $61.49.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $57.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.32 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vericel will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Paul K. Wotton sold 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $152,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 27,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,045.44. This represents a 8.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $150,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,595,700. This trade represents a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,100 shares of company stock worth $889,872 over the last quarter. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vericel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Vericel by 4,126.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Vericel by 22.2% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Vericel during the third quarter worth about $92,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Vericel during the third quarter worth about $146,000.

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.