Champlain Investment Partners LLC Purchases New Holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 623,440 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $34,233,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned 1.26% of Vericel as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new stake in Vericel during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 511.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,357 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $129,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Vericel by 826.6% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $138,000 after purchasing an additional 2,240 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Vericel by 82.5% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,707 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $149,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $242,256.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,206 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,759.94. This trade represents a 76.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 24,850 shares of Vericel 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 260,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,906,229.06. This represents a 8.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 58,942 shares of company stock valued at $2,724,548. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded 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 reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. One 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, Vericel presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.86.

Vericel Price Performance

NASDAQ:VCEL traded up $1.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $40.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 131,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 391,441. The company has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 676.45 and a beta of 1.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $46.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.37. Vericel Co. has a twelve month low of $37.76 and a twelve month 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.