GAMMA Investing LLC Raises Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 5,916.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 129,175 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 127,028 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned approximately 0.26% of Vericel worth $5,764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VCEL. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter worth $261,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted 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 buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 12.6% in the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,454,139 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $79,847,000 after buying an additional 162,419 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 262,932 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $14,438,000 after buying an additional 11,074 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 14.4% in the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 5,013 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the period.

Vericel Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ VCEL traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 445,655 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,192. Vericel Co. has a 52 week low of $37.39 and a 52 week high of $63.00. The company has a market capitalization of $2.15 billion, a PE ratio of 711.29 and a beta of 1.33. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $41.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $49.83.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 24,850 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.89, for a total transaction of $1,040,966.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 260,354 shares in the company, valued at $10,906,229.06. This trade represents a 8.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 7.20% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $67.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.14.

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.