Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 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. raised its position in shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 0.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,493,510 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,978 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 6.97% of Vericel worth $155,880,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VCEL. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in Vericel during the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Vericel by 34.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,895 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in Vericel during the 4th quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, Syon Capital LLC bought a new stake in Vericel during the 4th quarter valued at $257,000.

Vericel Trading Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:VCEL opened at $35.36 on Thursday. Vericel Corporation has a 12 month low of $33.09 and a 12 month high of $63.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $43.57. The company has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 294.69 and a beta of 1.27.

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. Vericel had a net margin of 2.85% and a return on equity of 2.47%. The business had revenue of $63.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.61 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.10) earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 20.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Vericel Corporation will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.

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