Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 123.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,588 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 37,311 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.14% of Vericel worth $2,856,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Vericel by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. now owns 213,486 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,020,000 after purchasing an additional 50,824 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Vericel by 1.3% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 434,206 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $18,345,000 after buying an additional 5,504 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Vericel in the third quarter worth approximately $563,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 4.6% during the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,079,048 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $45,590,000 after buying an additional 47,108 shares during the period. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Vericel by 42.4% during the 3rd quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,755 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $454,000 after acquiring an additional 3,204 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, November 8th. BTIG Research raised their price target 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 started coverage on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vericel currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $59.71.

Vericel Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of Vericel stock traded up $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $58.14. The company had a trading volume of 228,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 457,712. The stock has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 969.16 and a beta of 1.66. Vericel Co. has a 12-month low of $32.31 and a 12-month high of $61.49. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $47.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.34.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 1.48%. The business had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.32 million. As a group, analysts expect that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 220,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,142,373.06. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total transaction of $235,361.55. Following the transaction, the director now owns 11,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $443,850. This represents a 34.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,666 shares of company stock worth $1,350,764. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.