Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Shares Acquired by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its stake in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 96,500 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,100 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.20% of Vericel worth $5,299,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Vericel by 4.0% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,890 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $714,000 after purchasing an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vericel during the third quarter valued at $563,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Vericel by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 434,206 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $18,345,000 after acquiring an additional 5,504 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 123.2% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 67,588 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,856,000 after purchasing an additional 37,311 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in Vericel in the third quarter worth approximately $910,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vericel news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.50, for a total value of $156,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,662,187.50. The trade was a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total transaction 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 34,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,683,582. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

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Vericel Stock Performance

NASDAQ VCEL traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $47.96. The stock had a trading volume of 346,495 shares, compared to its average volume of 374,022. Vericel Co. has a 52-week low of $39.12 and a 52-week high of $63.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 799.47 and a beta of 1.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.16 and a 200 day moving average of $51.73.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

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.