EFG International AG Makes New $5.67 Million Investment in Vericel Corporation $VCEL

EFG International AG bought a new position in shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 127,642 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,674,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Vericel during the first quarter worth approximately $242,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Vericel by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,445 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,403,000 after buying an additional 1,847 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Vericel by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 371,486 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $16,576,000 after buying an additional 44,333 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,028 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,490,000 after acquiring an additional 10,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 277,253 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $11,797,000 after acquiring an additional 13,422 shares during the last quarter.

Vericel Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of Vericel stock opened at $43.22 on Wednesday. Vericel Corporation has a 52 week low of $28.95 and a 52 week high of $49.32. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.23. The firm has a market cap of $2.21 billion, a PE ratio of 91.96 and a beta of 1.06.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $77.46 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.70 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 6.91% and a net margin of 7.91%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.01) EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Vericel Corporation will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In other news, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total value of $450,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 75,753 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,408,885. This represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.90, for a total transaction of $220,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $52,714.20. This represents a 80.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 52,232 shares of company stock valued at $2,304,217 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on VCEL shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $58.00 price target (up from $54.00) on shares of Vericel in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vericel from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Vericel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.40.

Vericel Company Profile

Vericel Corporation is a biotechnology company specializing in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of cell-based therapies for patients with severe diseases and conditions. The company’s expertise lies in regenerative medicine, where it harnesses the power of autologous cell processing to create products designed to restore function and promote healing in damaged tissues.

Vericel currently markets two FDA-approved therapies. MACI® (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) is indicated for the repair of symptomatic cartilage defects of the knee in adult patients.