Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 8.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 750,492 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 56,499 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.52% of Vericel worth $41,211,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VCEL. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new stake in shares of Vericel in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Vericel by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,357 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vericel by 826.6% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,240 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Vericel by 82.5% during 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.

Vericel Price Performance

Vericel stock traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $41.77. The stock had a trading volume of 245,549 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,403. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 696.28 and a beta of 1.31. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $37.39 and a 1-year high of $63.00. The stock's fifty day moving average is $43.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $51.15.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $52.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $53.86 million. Vericel had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 1.48%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.08) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total transaction of $1,217,381.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 259,997 shares in the company, valued at $11,902,662.66. This trade represents a 9.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.