Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Rating Increased to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VCEL. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, August 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. BTIG Research lowered their target price on Vericel from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 15th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Stephens increased their price target on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.71.

Vericel Stock Performance

Shares of VCEL stock traded up $3.97 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $54.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 645,360 shares, compared to its average volume of 429,835. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $44.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.40. Vericel has a 1-year low of $32.28 and a 1-year high of $54.47. The company has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 900.00 and a beta of 1.66.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a net margin of 0.37% and a return on equity of 0.35%. The firm had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.32 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Vericel will post 0.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In other Vericel news, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $443,850. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total value of $724,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 220,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,142,373.06. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,850. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,166 shares of company stock worth $1,200,764. 5.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norden Group LLC acquired a new stake in Vericel during the first quarter worth about $244,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Vericel by 7.1% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 27,960 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,454,000 after purchasing an additional 1,845 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Vericel by 99.7% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 111,760 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,814,000 after purchasing an additional 55,796 shares during the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 41,768 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,173,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vericel in the 1st quarter valued at $12,782,000.

Vericel Company Profile

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.