Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Purchases Shares of 117,700 Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 117,700 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $4,973,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. owned about 0.24% of Vericel at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Vericel by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,372,812 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $100,251,000 after buying an additional 22,461 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 1.7% in the third quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,075,730 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $87,700,000 after acquiring an additional 34,360 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its position in Vericel by 37.4% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,291,720 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $54,575,000 after acquiring an additional 351,550 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 61.4% during the third quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,104,386 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $46,660,000 after acquiring an additional 420,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its position in Vericel by 4.6% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,079,048 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $45,590,000 after purchasing an additional 47,108 shares during the period.

Vericel Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL traded down $1.63 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $56.52. 195,152 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 429,065. The firm has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 942.16 and a beta of 1.71. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $48.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $47.62. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $32.31 and a 1-year high of $61.49.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) 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 company 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%. Analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VCEL has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com raised Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Stephens raised Vericel to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. BTIG Research boosted their price target on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vericel presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $59.71.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In other news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $150,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,595,700. This represents a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were 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 directly owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,850. The trade was a 34.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 44,266 shares of company stock worth $2,090,636 over the last 90 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.