Vanguard Group Inc. Acquires 7,978 Shares of Vericel Corporation $VCEL

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Vericel Corporation by 0.2% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 7,978 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 3.49 million shares valued at $155.88 million.
• Vericel's stock opened at $35.36 and has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, with a P/E ratio of 294.69 and a 12-month trading range between $33.09 and $63.00.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Vericel, with one firm downgrading it to a "sell," while others maintain a "buy" rating and suggest a price target averaging $60.33.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 0.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,493,510 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,978 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 6.97% of Vericel worth $155,880,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Vericel by 119.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,288,921 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $70,775,000 after buying an additional 701,064 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 24.2% in the first quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,365,744 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $60,939,000 after buying an additional 265,956 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 12.4% during the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 1,432,434 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $63,915,000 after acquiring an additional 158,470 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 5,916.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 129,175 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,764,000 after acquiring an additional 127,028 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC purchased a new position in Vericel during the fourth quarter valued at $6,193,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on VCEL shares. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $67.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price target on Vericel from $61.00 to $58.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $60.33.

Vericel Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL traded up $0.66 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $36.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 828,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 618,676. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 303.78 and a beta of 1.27. Vericel Corporation has a 12 month low of $33.09 and a 12 month high of $63.00. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $38.74 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.81.

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