Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Buys Shares of 12,324 Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,324 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $677,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VCEL. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI bought a new position in shares of Vericel during the 4th quarter worth about $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vericel by 511.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 8.4% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,357 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Vericel by 826.6% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $138,000 after purchasing an additional 2,240 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its position in Vericel by 82.5% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,707 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on VCEL shares. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.86.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 259,997 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,902,662.66. This trade represents a 9.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vericel Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of Vericel stock traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $40.90. 390,435 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 398,823. Vericel Co. has a 52-week low of $37.39 and a 52-week high of $63.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $43.53 and a 200-day moving average of $51.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 681.78 and a beta of 1.31.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.14). Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.08) EPS. Vericel's revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.