Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Sets New 52-Week High – What’s Next?

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $58.18 and last traded at $57.76, with a volume of 16219 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $57.26.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens upped their price target on Vericel from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, November 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Vericel in a report on Friday, August 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.14.

Vericel Stock Performance

The firm’s 50-day moving average is $46.13 and its 200 day moving average is $47.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 985.33 and a beta of 1.66.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 220,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,142,373.06. This trade represents a 7.34 % 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, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,850. This trade represents a 34.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vericel

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VCEL. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vericel by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,154,053 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $48,768,000 after purchasing an additional 9,613 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Vericel by 145.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 111,527 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $4,712,000 after acquiring an additional 66,082 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in Vericel by 26.7% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 7,125 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 1,501 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Vericel by 214.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 587,857 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $24,837,000 after purchasing an additional 400,667 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Vericel by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 28,073 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,186,000 after purchasing an additional 8,020 shares during the period.

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.