Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 34.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,399 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,923 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Vericel were worth $406,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vericel in the 4th quarter worth about $136,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Vericel by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,582 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel in the 4th quarter valued at about $197,000. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Vericel in the third quarter worth about $216,000.

Vericel Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL opened at $47.83 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -531.39 and a beta of 1.74. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.18. Vericel Co. has a 12-month low of $30.18 and a 12-month high of $53.05.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The biotechnology company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $65.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $64.28 million. Vericel had a negative return on equity of 1.55% and a negative net margin of 1.61%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 23.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.12 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Vericel Co. will post 0.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on VCEL shares. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Vericel from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of Vericel from a “d+” rating to a “c-” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $46.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 3,278 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.57, for a total value of $169,046.46. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,395 shares in the company, valued at $1,206,480.15. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.59, for a total transaction of $780,325.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 195,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,708,739.13. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 3,278 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.57, for a total value of $169,046.46. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,206,480.15. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,267 shares of company stock valued at $2,450,996 in the last ninety days. 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.