Swiss National Bank Has $5.30 Million Stock Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 6.7% during 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 0.20% of Vericel worth $5,299,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vericel in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,126,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Vericel by 214.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 587,857 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $24,837,000 after acquiring an additional 400,667 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in shares of Vericel by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,454,139 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $79,847,000 after purchasing an additional 162,419 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Vericel during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,973,000. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Vericel by 145.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 111,527 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $4,712,000 after buying an additional 66,082 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VCEL shares. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $61.00 target price (down from $67.00) on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.29.

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Vericel Trading Down 3.4 %

VCEL stock traded down $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $44.50. 298,050 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 378,281. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $51.67. Vericel Co. has a one year low of $39.12 and a one year high of $63.00. The company has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 741.79 and a beta of 1.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 1,092 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $67,693.08. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,206 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $74,759.94. This represents a 47.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total value of $1,217,381.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 259,997 shares in the company, valued at $11,902,662.66. This represents 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. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.