XTX Topco Ltd Acquires New Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 20,814 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,143,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings in Vericel by 40.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 28,073 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,186,000 after buying an additional 8,020 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,154,053 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,768,000 after acquiring an additional 9,613 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 23,900 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vericel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $280,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vericel during the fourth quarter valued at about $956,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VCEL shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Vericel currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $60.86.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 24,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.89, for a total transaction of $1,040,966.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 260,354 shares in the company, valued at $10,906,229.06. This represents a 8.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $242,256.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,759.94. The trade was a 76.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 58,942 shares of company stock valued at $2,724,548 in the last three months. 7.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vericel Price Performance

VCEL traded down $0.40 on Monday, hitting $40.83. The company had a trading volume of 51,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 389,699. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 680.60 and a beta of 1.61. Vericel Co. has a 52-week low of $37.76 and a 52-week high of $63.00.

Vericel Profile

Vericel Corporation, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, engages in the research, development, manufacture, and distribution of cellular therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care markets in North America. The company markets autologous cell therapy products comprising MACI, an autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane for the repair of symptomatic, and single or multiple full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee; Epicel, a permanent skin replacement humanitarian use device for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with deep-dermal or full-thickness burns; and NexoBrid, a biological orphan product for eschar removal in adults with deep partial-thickness and/or full-thickness thermal burns.