Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Purchases 8,789 Shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Key Points

• Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vericel Corporation by 5.9%, owning approximately 158,930 shares now valued at $7,091,000 as of its latest SEC filing.
• Vericel recently reported a net margin of 2.85% and a year-over-year revenue increase of 20.1%, with earnings per share surpassing analysts' expectations.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook on Vericel, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.86.

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 158,930 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 8,789 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC owned 0.32% of Vericel worth $7,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in Vericel by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,476,718 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $65,891,000 after acquiring an additional 22,579 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position 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 acquiring an additional 701,064 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vericel by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,166,115 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $64,046,000 after acquiring an additional 12,062 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 750,492 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $41,211,000 after purchasing an additional 56,499 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vericel in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,233,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VCEL. 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. Wall Street Zen cut Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $67.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, June 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.33.

Vericel Stock Up 1.8%

VCEL traded up $0.65 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $36.89. 88,939 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 497,298. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 307.44 and a beta of 1.27. The company's fifty day moving average price is $40.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $44.63. Vericel Corporation has a 52-week low of $33.09 and a 52-week high of $63.00.

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 firm had revenue of $63.24 million during 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%. Vericel's revenue was up 20.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.10) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Vericel Corporation will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.