Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on VCEL. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.86.

Vericel Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VCEL opened at $43.64 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $51.21. Vericel has a one year low of $37.39 and a one year high of $63.00. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 727.45 and a beta of 1.31.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.23) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by ($0.14). Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. The firm had revenue of $52.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $53.86 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.08) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Vericel will post 0.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total value of $1,217,381.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 259,997 shares in the company, valued at $11,902,662.66. The trade was a 9.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vericel

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 1.6% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,273,494 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $101,443,000 after purchasing an additional 35,345 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Vericel by 1.6% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,476,718 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $65,891,000 after purchasing an additional 22,579 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Vericel by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 1,432,434 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $63,915,000 after buying an additional 158,470 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 24.2% during the 1st quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,365,744 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $60,939,000 after purchasing an additional 265,956 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 119.3% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,288,921 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $70,775,000 after buying an additional 701,064 shares during the last quarter.

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.