Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Shares Bought by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 21.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 42,915 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 7,625 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Vericel were worth $2,356,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VCEL. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Vericel by 21.6% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,768 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $328,000 after purchasing an additional 1,378 shares in the last quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 49.2% during the third quarter. Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC now owns 115,334 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,873,000 after purchasing an additional 38,031 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 4.0% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,890 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares in the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 42.4% during the third quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,755 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 3,204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Vericel during the third quarter valued at $563,000.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total transaction of $1,217,381.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 259,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,902,662.66. This trade represents a 9.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $242,256.92. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,759.94. This represents a 76.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 34,092 shares of company stock worth $1,683,582. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on VCEL. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price objective (down from $67.00) on shares of Vericel in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.29.

Vericel Trading Down 1.9 %

Vericel stock opened at $46.26 on Friday. Vericel Co. has a 12-month low of $39.12 and a 12-month high of $63.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 771.13 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $54.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $51.70.

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.