What is HC Wainwright's Forecast for Vericel Q4 Earnings?

Key Points

• HC Wainwright raised its Q4 2026 EPS forecast for Vericel to $0.50 from $0.46, while maintaining a Buy rating and a $70 price target.
• Vericel’s second-quarter results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.04 versus a projected loss of $0.03 and revenue of $77.46 million, up 22.5% year over year.
• Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $330 million–$340 million and authorized a $200 million share-repurchase program, supporting the company’s favorable growth outlook.

Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) - HC Wainwright raised their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Vericel in a note issued to investors on Friday, July 31st. HC Wainwright analyst S. Ramakanth now forecasts that the biotechnology company will post earnings per share of $0.50 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $0.46. HC Wainwright has a "Buy" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Vericel's current full-year earnings is $0.49 per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Vericel's Q2 2027 earnings at $0.14 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.12 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $0.52 EPS.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.07. Vericel had a net margin of 7.91% and a return on equity of 6.91%. The firm had revenue of $77.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $72.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.01) EPS. The company's revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 price target on Vericel in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $58.00 price target (up from $54.00) on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Vericel from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Vericel from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $58.40.

Vericel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL opened at $45.96 on Monday. Vericel has a 52 week low of $28.95 and a 52 week high of $49.32. The firm has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 97.79 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's fifty day moving average is $41.95 and its 200-day moving average is $37.39.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $450,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 75,753 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,408,885. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.21, for a total transaction of $603,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at $66,225.87. The trade was a 90.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 52,232 shares of company stock worth $2,304,217 over the last quarter. 7.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Vericel in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Vericel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vericel by 116.5% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 970 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 175.4% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 977 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Vericel in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000.

Key Stories Impacting Vericel

Here are the key news stories impacting Vericel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vericel reported second-quarter revenue of $77.5 million, up 22% year over year and above the $72.7 million consensus estimate. Earnings were $0.04 per share, beating expectations for a $0.04 loss, while net income reached $2.2 million and free cash flow was $14.3 million. Vericel Reports Second Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $330 million-$340 million, a range that brackets or modestly exceeds the $331.9 million analyst consensus. MACI revenue growth of 23% was a key contributor to the quarterly performance. Vericel Beats Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The board authorized a $200 million share-repurchase program, which could support earnings per share and signal confidence in Vericel’s cash-generation outlook. Share Repurchase Program Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Truist reaffirmed its Buy rating and increased its price target to $58 from $54. HC Wainwright also reaffirmed a Buy rating, reinforcing the favorable analyst view. Truist Financial Analyst Rating HC Wainwright Analyst Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings-call transcript and presentation provide additional operating details but do not indicate a separate material catalyst beyond the reported results and guidance. Q2 2026 Earnings Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is not unanimous, and Vericel trades at a high earnings multiple, leaving the shares sensitive to any slowdown in growth or weaker-than-expected future results. Conflicting Analyst Sentiment

About Vericel

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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