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

Eagle Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 31.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 213,486 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,824 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $9,020,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VCEL. Geneva Capital Management LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 420,078 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in Vericel by 37.4% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,291,720 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,575,000 after purchasing an additional 351,550 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in Vericel by 34.9% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 840,787 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $38,575,000 after purchasing an additional 217,437 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its position in Vericel by 54.8% during the 3rd quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 590,145 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $24,934,000 after purchasing an additional 209,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Vericel by 51.5% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 611,146 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,039,000 after purchasing an additional 207,714 shares during the last quarter.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of VCEL stock opened at $59.11 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $46.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 985.33 and a beta of 1.66. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $32.31 and a 1-year high of $60.15.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last posted its quarterly 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. Vericel had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 1.48%. The business had revenue of $57.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.32 million. Equities research analysts expect that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VCEL shares. Canaccord Genuity Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, November 8th. StockNews.com raised Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Stephens boosted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total value of $724,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 220,937 shares in the company, valued at $9,142,373.06. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total transaction of $235,361.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at $443,850. This represents a 34.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,166 shares of company stock worth $1,200,764. Company 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.