Insider Selling: Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Insider Sells $242,256.92 in Stock

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $242,256.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,759.94. This trade represents a 76.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Vericel Stock Performance

Vericel stock opened at $58.54 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 975.83 and a beta of 1.72. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $57.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.87. Vericel Co. has a 1 year low of $39.12 and a 1 year high of $61.99.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. The company had revenue of $57.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.32 million. Equities analysts expect that Vericel Co. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Vericel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Vericel by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 23,900 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,312,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 48.1% during 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 period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Vericel by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 43,781 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,404,000 after buying an additional 489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Investments LLC boosted its position in Vericel by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 7,400 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 550 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.