China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 3,721 Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 65.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,430 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,721 shares during the period. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $398,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VCEL. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 4,126.7% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 319.0% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 504 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 9.7% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,484 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in Vericel by 178.7% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,584 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,657 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Vericel from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. BTIG Research decreased their price target on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Vericel has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.71.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL opened at $45.54 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $44.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.35. Vericel Co. has a 1 year low of $32.28 and a 1 year high of $54.10. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of -4,554.00 and a beta of 1.67.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The biotechnology company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $52.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $52.59 million. Vericel had a net margin of 0.37% and a return on equity of 0.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.11) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,850. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,850. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total transaction of $724,150.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 220,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,142,373.06. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,166 shares of company stock valued at $1,200,764 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

About Vericel

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.