Vericel Corporation (VCEL) - What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts remain generally positive: Vericel has a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with four buy ratings and two holds. The average 12-month price target is $57.20, above the stock’s reported price of $40.37.
• Recent earnings exceeded expectations: Vericel reported quarterly earnings of $0.04 per share versus the $0.03-per-share loss analysts expected, while revenue rose 22.5% year over year to $77.46 million.
• Trading and ownership activity was mixed: Several institutions initiated or increased positions, while insider Jonathan Siegal sold 4,500 shares. Vericel shares have traded between $28.95 and $49.32 over the past year, with insiders owning 7.6% of the company.

Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $57.20.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VCEL. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Vericel from $58.00 to $52.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 target price on Vericel in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen raised Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vericel from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.90, for a total value of $220,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 1,078 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $52,714.20. This trade represents a 80.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 19.9% during the 3rd quarter. Juncture Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 9,929 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $399,000 after buying an additional 1,646 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Vericel in the 2nd quarter worth about $215,000. MCF Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 293.0% in the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 782 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. Scholtz & Company LLC bought a new position in shares of Vericel in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,287,000. Finally, Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new position in Vericel during the 2nd quarter valued at about $747,000.

Vericel Trading Up 0.6%

VCEL stock opened at $40.37 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $40.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.81. Vericel has a 12-month low of $28.95 and a 12-month high of $49.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.90 and a beta of 1.02.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $77.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.70 million. Vericel had a net margin of 7.91% and a return on equity of 6.91%. Vericel's revenue for the quarter was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.01) earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Vericel will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

About Vericel

Vericel Corporation is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and marketing advanced cell therapies and specialty biologic products for the treatment of severe medical conditions. The company's products are designed to support tissue repair and regeneration, with an emphasis on orthopedic and burn-care applications.

Vericel's primary product is MACI, an autologous cellularized scaffold used to repair full-thickness cartilage defects in the knee. The therapy is made from a patient's own cartilage cells, which are expanded and seeded onto a collagen membrane before implantation.

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