Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Buys Shares of 62,938 Vericel Corporation $VCEL

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. has purchased 62,938 shares of Vericel Corporation, amounting to a value of approximately $2.8 million, representing a 0.13% ownership in the company.
• Several institutional investors, including Wellington Management Group and GAMMA Investing LLC, have significantly increased their stakes in Vericel, indicating growing interest from the hedge fund community.
• Analysts have set a consensus rating of "Buy" for Vericel, with an average price target of $60.40, reflecting confidence in the company's growth prospects despite recent fluctuations in stock price.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 62,938 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $2,808,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.13% of Vericel at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Vericel Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ VCEL traded up $0.25 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $32.43. 54,700 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 520,777. The company has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 269.52 and a beta of 1.33. Vericel Corporation has a 12-month low of $30.26 and a 12-month high of $63.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $36.70 and a 200 day moving average of $40.81.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

VCEL has been the subject of several research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, Vericel presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $60.40.

Vericel 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.