Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 8,305 Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 157,180 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 8,305 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Vericel were worth $5,597,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new position in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter valued at about $65,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter worth about $136,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vericel by 8.1% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,582 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $154,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Vericel in the 4th quarter worth approximately $197,000.

Vericel Stock Up 5.5 %

VCEL stock opened at $49.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -550.16 and a beta of 1.74. Vericel Co. has a twelve month low of $30.18 and a twelve month high of $53.05. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $47.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.57.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The biotechnology company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.08. Vericel had a negative net margin of 1.61% and a negative return on equity of 1.55%. The business had revenue of $65.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $64.28 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 23.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Vericel Co. will post 0.09 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VCEL shares. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $54.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. HC Wainwright raised their price target on Vericel from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Vericel from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $46.40.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Sean C. Flynn sold 8,115 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.33, for a total value of $367,852.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,570.11. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, COO Michael Halpin sold 7,874 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.71, for a total value of $352,046.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,429.79. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Sean C. Flynn sold 8,115 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.33, for a total transaction of $367,852.95. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 167 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,570.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 54,267 shares of company stock worth $2,450,996. Company insiders own 7.20% of the company’s stock.

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.