Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Hits New 1-Year High – What’s Next?

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $61.65 and last traded at $61.69, with a volume of 63215 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.72.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on VCEL shares. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $62.14.

Vericel Price Performance

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $57.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $50.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a PE ratio of 999.78 and a beta of 1.72.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $57.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.32 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Paul K. Wotton sold 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $152,672.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 27,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,609,045.44. This represents a 8.67 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $587,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,371 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,427,545.12. The trade was a 14.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,100 shares of company stock valued at $889,872. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 619 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Vericel by 48.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised 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 valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vericel in the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 826.6% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,240 shares during the last quarter.

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.