Insider Selling: Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Director Sells 2,000 Shares of Company Stock

Key Points

• Director Robert Md Zerbe sold 2,000 Vericel shares at an average $57.88, receiving $115,760; he retained 32,995 shares after reducing his position by 5.72%.
• Vericel beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $0.27 versus $0.06 expected and revenue of $85.37 million, up 26.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment was broadly positive, with an average “Buy” rating and $62 price target; shares traded at $57.42 in the article’s cited session.

Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) Director Robert Md Zerbe sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.88, for a total transaction of $115,760.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 32,995 shares in the company, valued at $1,909,750.60. This represents a 5.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Vericel Price Performance

NASDAQ:VCEL traded down $2.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $57.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 826,522 shares, compared to its average volume of 900,707. The company has a market cap of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.72 and a beta of 1.08. Vericel Corporation has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $59.75. The business's 50-day moving average is $42.45 and its 200-day moving average is $39.30.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.21. Vericel had a net margin of 10.27% and a return on equity of 9.09%. The firm had revenue of $85.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.10 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Vericel Corporation will post 0.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VCEL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research raised Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Vericel in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vericel from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. HC Wainwright upped their target price on Vericel from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 6th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vericel currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $62.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vericel

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Vericel by 293.0% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 782 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 583 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Vericel during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Vericel by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in Vericel in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new position in Vericel in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $72,000.

About Vericel

Vericel Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing cell therapies and other treatments for serious conditions. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company markets its products primarily in the United States. Its products include MACI, an implant made from a patient's own cultured cartilage cells used to repair certain cartilage defects in the knee, and Epicel, a cultured skin graft used to treat patients with deep burns. Vericel also commercializes NexoBrid in the United States, an enzyme-based treatment for removing dead tissue from severe thermal burns.

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