Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Vericel a consensus "Moderate Buy" (5 buys, 3 holds) with an average 1‑year price target of $55.40.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.45 (in line) and revenue of $92.92M, a 23.3% year‑over‑year increase, indicating solid top‑line growth.
• The stock trades near $36.92 with a market cap of $1.88B; institutional investor Conestoga Capital raised its stake to 2.46M shares (~$79.2M) while an insider sold 3,472 shares under a 10b5‑1 plan.

Shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $55.40.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VCEL. Truist Financial lowered their target price on Vericel from $48.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Vericel from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Leerink Partners reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 28th.

Vericel Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of VCEL opened at $36.92 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $34.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.14. Vericel has a 12 month low of $28.95 and a 12 month high of $45.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 119.10 and a beta of 1.20.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Vericel had a return on equity of 5.17% and a net margin of 5.98%.The firm had revenue of $92.92 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $92.66 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.38 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 23.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Vericel will post 0.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other news, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 3,472 shares of the company'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 transaction, the insider owned 75,556 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,460. This represents a 4.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 7.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 9.3% in the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,463,312 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $79,245,000 after acquiring an additional 208,750 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Vericel by 20.1% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 8,408 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,405 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Vericel in the 1st quarter worth $721,000. Kopp Family Office LLC grew its position in Vericel by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Kopp Family Office LLC now owns 163,355 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,255,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Finally, Diversified Trust Co grew its position in Vericel by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 24,036 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $773,000 after purchasing an additional 975 shares during the period.

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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