BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $1.35 Million Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 50.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,901 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 32,592 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned approximately 0.06% of Vericel worth $1,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. boosted its position in Vericel by 4.6% during the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,079,048 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $45,590,000 after purchasing an additional 47,108 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel during the 3rd quarter worth about $563,000. Scholtz & Company LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vericel during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,357,000. Premier Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new position in Vericel in the 3rd quarter valued at about $781,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc grew its stake in Vericel by 21.6% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,768 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $328,000 after buying an additional 1,378 shares during the last quarter.

Vericel Stock Down 0.0 %

VCEL opened at $56.36 on Tuesday. Vericel Co. has a twelve month low of $32.31 and a twelve month high of $61.49. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $48.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $47.67. The stock has a market cap of $2.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 939.49 and a beta of 1.70.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last posted its earnings results 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 for 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VCEL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, November 8th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised shares of Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In related news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $150,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,595,700. This trade represents a 8.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the sale, the director now owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,850. This represents a 34.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 44,266 shares of company stock valued at $2,090,636 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.20% of the company’s stock.

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.