Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. Boosts Stake in Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Key Points

• Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. increased its stake in Vericel Corporation by 91.5% during the first quarter, owning a total of 47,337 shares valued at approximately $2.1 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on Vericel, with one rating it a sell while seven others have given it a buy rating, resulting in a consensus of a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $59.86.
• Vericel reported a quarterly revenue of $63.24 million, marking a 20.1% increase year-over-year, although it slightly missed analyst expectations.

Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 91.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 47,337 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 22,617 shares during the period. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. owned 0.09% of Vericel worth $2,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in Vericel in the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 34.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,895 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Vericel during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $137,000. US Bancorp DE increased its position in shares of Vericel by 29.9% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,071 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $137,000 after purchasing an additional 706 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Vericel during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $215,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VCEL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Vericel from $61.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $67.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, June 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.33.

Vericel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL traded up $1.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $37.57. The stock had a trading volume of 393,274 shares, compared to its average volume of 499,298. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $40.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $44.42. The stock has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a PE ratio of 314.69 and a beta of 1.27. Vericel Corporation has a 1-year low of $33.09 and a 1-year high of $63.00.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.04) by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $63.24 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.61 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 2.47% and a net margin of 2.85%. The business's revenue was up 20.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.10) earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Vericel Corporation will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current 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.