Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Shares Acquired by Eagle Asset Management Inc.

Eagle Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 31.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 213,486 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 50,824 shares during the quarter. Eagle Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.43% of Vericel worth $9,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VCEL. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vericel in the 1st quarter valued at $6,538,000. Scholtz & Company LLC acquired a new position in Vericel in the second quarter valued at about $1,357,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. lifted its position in Vericel by 4.6% in the third quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 1,079,048 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,590,000 after buying an additional 47,108 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Vericel by 6.5% during the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 420,643 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $19,299,000 after buying an additional 25,626 shares during the period. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel during the third quarter valued at about $781,000.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL opened at $59.11 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 985.33 and a beta of 1.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $46.13 and its two-hundred day moving average is $47.00. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $32.31 and a 1-year high of $60.15.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $57.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.32 million. Vericel had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 1.48%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VCEL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group restated 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 issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Vericel presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.14.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total transaction of $724,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 220,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,142,373.06. The trade was a 7.34 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,850. The trade was a 34.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 29,166 shares of company stock valued at $1,200,764. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Vericel 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.