Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Decreases Stake in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Free Report) by 2.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,040,070 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 23,930 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 2.11% of Vericel worth $43,943,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Vericel by 1.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,413,442 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $177,567,000 after buying an additional 39,349 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 7.8% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 58,377 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,036,000 after purchasing an additional 4,227 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Vericel by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,508 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 3,374 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vericel by 178.7% in the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,584 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 1,657 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Vericel by 6.7% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 27,280 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,420,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721 shares during the period.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL traded up $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $58.75. 349,653 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 432,122. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.90 billion, a PE ratio of 979.17 and a beta of 1.66. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $46.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.14. Vericel Co. has a 12-month low of $32.31 and a 12-month high of $61.49.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $55.32 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VCEL. BTIG Research upped their price target on Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $57.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $59.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,595,700. The trade was a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total value of $724,150.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 220,937 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,142,373.06. This represents a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 31,666 shares of company stock valued at $1,350,764. 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.