Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Announces Earnings Results

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.12) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $68.43 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $63.68 million. Vericel had a net margin of 7.35% and a return on equity of 6.41%. Vericel's revenue for the quarter was up 30.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.23) earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Vericel's conference call:

• Record Q1 financials — total revenue of $68.4M (+30% YoY), MACI $56.4M (+22%), gross margin ~72%, adjusted EBITDA ~ $9.6M (tripled YoY), and free cash flow $15.1M with ~$211M cash and investments.
• Raised 2026 guidance — total revenue guidance increased by $10M to $326M–$336M; MACI guidance lifted to $282M–$288M and Burn Care to $44M–$48M, with expected NexoBrid BARDA procurement revenue of ~$5M–$6M in H2.
• Commercial momentum for MACI — expanded sales force drove record biopsies, accelerating implants and deeper per‑surgeon penetration; MACI Arthro trainees now account for >50% of implants and early investigator data suggests less post‑op pain and faster recovery.
• Capacity and international expansion — FDA approved commercial manufacturing at the new Burlington facility to support U.S. growth and enable a planned MACI marketing submission in the U.K. later this year (targeting a possible 2027 launch).
• Management remains prudent — full‑year outlook assumes no implicit MACI acceleration, accounts for incremental costs (new facility, salesforce expansion, MACI ankle trial and life‑cycle investments), and future BARDA optional awards and conversion improvements remain uncertain.

Vericel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL traded up $1.78 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $34.81. The stock had a trading volume of 364,988 shares, compared to its average volume of 597,532. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $33.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.89 and a beta of 1.15. Vericel has a 1-year low of $28.95 and a 1-year high of $45.97.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In related news, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 3,472 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total value of $121,520.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 75,556 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,460. This trade represents a 4.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vericel in the first quarter valued at $242,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised 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 buying an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 44,333 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Vericel by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,028 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $5,490,000 after acquiring an additional 10,191 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in Vericel by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 277,253 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $11,797,000 after acquiring an additional 13,422 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Vericel from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Vericel from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Vericel from $48.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Leerink Partners reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $46.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.40.

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.