Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Stock Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report)'s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $50.40 and traded as high as $58.01. Vericel shares last traded at $57.43, with a volume of 376,137 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VCEL shares. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Vericel from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One investment 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, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.14.

Vericel Trading Up 0.0 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $50.47. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 957.33 and a beta of 1.72.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $57.91 million during 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Vericel Co. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In other news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 26,595 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,595,700. This trade represents a 8.59 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $587,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 58,371 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,427,545.12. This trade represents a 14.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,100 shares of company stock valued at $889,872. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VCEL. Wellington Management Group LLP grew 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. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 40.0% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 28,073 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,186,000 after purchasing an additional 8,020 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Vericel by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,154,053 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,768,000 after purchasing an additional 9,613 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Vericel during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $563,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its holdings in Vericel by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,079,048 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $45,590,000 after buying an additional 47,108 shares during the period.

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.