Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Given “Buy” Rating at HC Wainwright

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by stock analysts at HC Wainwright in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $60.00 price target on the biotechnology company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s target price indicates a potential upside of 16.98% from the company’s current price. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Vericel’s FY2025 earnings at $0.26 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $1.18 EPS, FY2028 earnings at $1.93 EPS and FY2029 earnings at $2.66 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also commented on VCEL. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Vericel from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price objective on Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.14.

Vericel Stock Up 3.4 %

VCEL opened at $51.29 on Friday. Vericel has a 12-month low of $39.12 and a 12-month high of $63.00. The stock has a market cap of $2.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 854.98 and a beta of 1.72. The business has a 50 day moving average of $57.20 and a 200-day moving average of $51.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 58,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,427,545.12. The trade was a 14.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.50, for a total value of $156,250.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,662,187.50. The trade was a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 20,100 shares of company stock worth $1,206,072 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Vericel

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 4,126.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI bought a new position in Vericel in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in Vericel in the 4th quarter worth $57,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Vericel by 48.1% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Vericel by 511.1% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares during the period.

About Vericel

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.