Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL) Shares Sold by Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 0.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,061,600 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 7,830 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned 4.11% of Vericel worth $91,989,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Vericel by 8.4% during 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 last quarter. Atria Investments Inc increased its holdings in shares of Vericel by 2.4% during the 4th 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 raised its position in shares of Vericel by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,111 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 199 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings 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 position in Vericel by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 13,803 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $758,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VCEL shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $67.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Monday. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price target on Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.14.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 24,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.89, for a total transaction of $1,040,966.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 260,354 shares in the company, valued at $10,906,229.06. This trade represents a 8.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Vericel Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $42.02. 610,187 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 416,989. The business's 50-day moving average price is $41.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.27. The company has a market capitalization of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,401.13 and a beta of 1.33. Vericel Corporation has a twelve month low of $37.39 and a twelve month high of $63.00.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 1.25% and a return on equity of 1.09%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.08) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Vericel Corporation will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Vericel

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.