Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Has $2.36 Million Stock Holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 21.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,915 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,625 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned about 0.09% of Vericel worth $2,356,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,126,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vericel by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,258,416 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $69,100,000 after acquiring an additional 501,736 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Vericel by 214.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 587,857 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $24,837,000 after purchasing an additional 400,667 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of Vericel by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,454,139 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $79,847,000 after purchasing an additional 162,419 shares during the period. Finally, Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vericel in the third quarter valued at $4,973,000.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of VCEL stock traded down $0.13 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $47.81. The company had a trading volume of 158,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 374,022. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $39.12 and a 1-year high of $63.00. The firm has a market cap of $2.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 796.97 and a beta of 1.78. The company has a 50 day moving average of $54.16 and a 200 day moving average of $51.73.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on VCEL shares. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $61.00 target price (down previously from $67.00) on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Vericel presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $62.29.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,206 shares in the company, valued at $74,759.94. This represents a 76.42 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total value of $1,217,381.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 259,997 shares in the company, valued at $11,902,662.66. The trade was a 9.28 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 34,092 shares of company stock worth $1,683,582 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

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.