Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $61.65 and last traded at $61.69, with a volume of 63215 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VCEL. BTIG Research increased their price target on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com raised Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.14.

Vericel Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $50.61. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 999.78 and a beta of 1.72.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. The business had revenue of $57.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.32 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Vericel Co. will post 0.12 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Vericel news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $150,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,595,700. The trade was a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul K. Wotton sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $152,672.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 27,402 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,609,045.44. This trade represents a 8.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,100 shares of company stock valued at $889,872 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vericel

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 4,126.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Vericel by 48.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Vericel by 22.2% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Vericel during the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in Vericel by 826.6% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 2,240 shares during the period.

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.