Jonathan Mark Hopper Sells 3,472 Shares of Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Stock

Key Points

• Insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 3,472 shares of Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) on April 2 at an average price of $35 for a total of $121,520, reducing his stake by 4.39% to 75,556 shares; the sale was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.
• Vericel shares recently traded around $34.08, the company has a market cap of about $1.74 billion and a trailing PE near 110, and the stock’s 12‑month range is $28.95–$45.97.
• Vericel reported quarterly EPS of $0.45 (in line with estimates) and revenue up 23.3% year‑over‑year, and analysts maintain a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average target of $56 and individual targets up to $64.

Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 3,472 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $121,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 75,556 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,644,460. This trade represents a 4.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Vericel Price Performance

VCEL stock traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $34.08. The company had a trading volume of 409,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 599,824. The company has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 109.94 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $34.68 and a 200 day moving average of $35.82. Vericel Corporation has a 12 month low of $28.95 and a 12 month high of $45.97.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Vericel had a net margin of 5.98% and a return on equity of 5.17%. The firm had revenue of $92.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.66 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.38 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 23.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Vericel Corporation will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VCEL has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Vericel in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Vericel from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Leerink Partners reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $46.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Vericel from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.00.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vericel in the 1st quarter valued at $242,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Vericel by 6.2% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,445 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,403,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Vericel by 13.6% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 371,486 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $16,576,000 after purchasing an additional 44,333 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 9.0% in 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 valued at $5,490,000 after purchasing an additional 10,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd grew its stake in Vericel by 30.8% in the second quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 17,036 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $725,000 after purchasing an additional 4,015 shares during the last quarter.

Vericel Company 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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