Brokerages Set Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) PT at $57.71

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the seven analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $58.14.

Several brokerages have weighed in on VCEL. StockNews.com raised Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, November 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $57.00 target price for the company. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday.

Vericel Stock Up 5.6 %

VCEL stock traded up $2.94 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $55.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 346,286 shares, compared to its average volume of 430,787. Vericel has a 1 year low of $32.31 and a 1 year high of $57.81. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 930.66 and a beta of 1.66. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $45.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $46.74.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total transaction of $724,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 220,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,142,373.06. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.36, for a total transaction of $241,252.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $454,960. This trade represents a 34.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,166 shares of company stock valued at $1,200,764. Company insiders own 7.20% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vericel

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vericel by 4,126.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in Vericel by 319.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 504 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Vericel by 48.1% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vericel during the 3rd quarter valued at about $92,000.

Vericel Company 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.