Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $63.14.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 24th. 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 report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th.

Vericel Trading Up 0.6 %

VCEL opened at $52.85 on Thursday. Vericel has a 12 month low of $39.12 and a 12 month high of $63.00. The company has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 880.98 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a 50 day moving average of $57.41 and a 200 day moving average of $51.76.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In other Vericel news, Director Paul K. Wotton sold 2,600 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $1,609,045.44. The trade was a 8.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 58,371 shares in the company, valued at $3,427,545.12. The trade was a 14.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 20,100 shares of company stock valued at $1,206,072. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vericel

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Vericel by 119.3% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,288,921 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $70,775,000 after purchasing an additional 701,064 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Vericel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,233,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vericel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,126,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in Vericel by 66.3% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,258,416 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $69,100,000 after acquiring an additional 501,736 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vericel by 61.4% during the third quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,104,386 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $46,660,000 after acquiring an additional 420,078 shares in 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.