Lisanti Capital Growth LLC Acquires New Holdings in Vericel Corporation $VCEL

Key Points

• Lisanti Capital Growth acquired 120,380 Vericel shares in the second quarter, valued at approximately $5.36 million and representing about 0.24% of the company.
• Vericel reported quarterly EPS of $0.04, beating estimates by $0.07, while revenue rose 22.5% year over year to $77.46 million. The stock opened at $43.57, with a 52-week range of $28.95 to $49.32.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with four Buy ratings and three Holds, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $58.40; meanwhile, insiders sold 52,232 shares worth $2.30 million over the past three months.

Lisanti Capital Growth LLC bought a new stake in Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 120,380 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $5,356,000. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Vericel as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vericel in the 1st quarter valued at $242,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in Vericel by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,445 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Vericel by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 371,486 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $16,576,000 after buying an additional 44,333 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 9.0% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,028 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,490,000 after acquiring an additional 10,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its holdings in Vericel by 5.1% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 277,253 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $11,797,000 after acquiring an additional 13,422 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 15,000 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.21, for a total value of $603,150.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 1,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,225.87. The trade was a 90.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Joseph Anthony Mara, Jr. sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.75, for a total transaction of $223,750.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 16,009 shares in the company, valued at $716,402.75. This trade represents a 23.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 52,232 shares of company stock worth $2,304,217 in the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vericel Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VCEL opened at $43.57 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $44.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.06. Vericel Corporation has a 52-week low of $28.95 and a 52-week high of $49.32. The company has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a PE ratio of 92.70 and a beta of 1.06.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $0.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.07. Vericel had a return on equity of 6.91% and a net margin of 7.91%.The firm had revenue of $77.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $72.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.01) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 22.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Vericel Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on VCEL. Weiss Ratings upgraded Vericel from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $58.00 price objective (up from $54.00) on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $58.40.

Vericel Profile

Vericel Corporation is a biotechnology company specializing in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of cell-based therapies for patients with severe diseases and conditions. The company's expertise lies in regenerative medicine, where it harnesses the power of autologous cell processing to create products designed to restore function and promote healing in damaged tissues.

Vericel currently markets two FDA-approved therapies. MACI® (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) is indicated for the repair of symptomatic cartilage defects of the knee in adult patients.

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