Natixis Advisors L.P. Raises Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 39.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,668 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,460 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Vericel during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Vericel by 174.3% during the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,668 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,060 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Vericel by 31.6% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 2,273 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares during the period. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Vericel during the second quarter valued at approximately $73,000. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its position in Vericel by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 3,025 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Vericel news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.84, for a total transaction of $38,840.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 33,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,297,061.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 3,000 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total transaction of $108,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,238,220. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.84, for a total value of $38,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 33,395 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,297,061.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on VCEL. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Vericel from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 3rd. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Vericel from $39.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 11th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Vericel in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Vericel from $42.00 to $39.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 3rd. Finally, BTIG Research upgraded shares of Vericel from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $40.25.

Vericel Stock Performance

VCEL stock opened at $33.53 on Thursday. Vericel Co. has a one year low of $17.30 and a one year high of $39.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of -115.62 and a beta of 1.76. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $34.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.88.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 2nd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.13) by $0.02. Vericel had a negative return on equity of 6.90% and a negative net margin of 7.39%. The firm had revenue of $45.92 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.14 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.19) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 24.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Vericel Co. will post -0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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 the United States. 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; and Epicel, a permanent skin replacement humanitarian use device for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with deep-dermal or full-thickness burns.