Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $62.29.

Several brokerages have issued reports on VCEL. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $61.00 price target (down previously from $67.00) on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. BTIG Research increased their target price on Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th.

Vericel Trading Down 1.9 %

VCEL opened at $46.26 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.72. The stock has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 771.13 and a beta of 1.78. Vericel has a 1 year low of $39.12 and a 1 year high of $63.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total value of $1,217,381.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 259,997 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,902,662.66. The trade was a 9.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $242,256.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,206 shares in the company, valued at $74,759.94. The trade was a 76.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 34,092 shares of company stock worth $1,683,582. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vericel

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Vericel by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,357 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Atria Investments Inc raised its stake in shares of Vericel by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 7,952 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Vericel by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,111 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in Vericel by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 23,900 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,312,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Vericel by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 13,803 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $758,000 after acquiring an additional 234 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.