Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Stock Moved Up to Strong-Buy by Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning,Zacks reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on VCEL. Stephens increased their price objective on Vericel from $55.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Vericel from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 6th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 target price on Vericel in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Vericel from $52.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their target price on Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $62.00.

Vericel Price Performance

NASDAQ VCEL opened at $59.03 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $39.10. Vericel has a 12 month low of $28.95 and a 12 month high of $59.72. The company has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.24 and a beta of 1.08.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $85.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.95 million. Vericel had a net margin of 10.27% and a return on equity of 9.09%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Vericel will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.23, for a total value of $156,690.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 32,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,723,328.85. This represents a 8.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.90, for a total value of $79,350.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 1,259 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $66,601.10. This represents a 54.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 22,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,128,340 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ieq Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Vericel by 50.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 19,832 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $796,000 after purchasing an additional 6,623 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its stake in shares of Vericel by 78.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 312,194 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $12,556,000 after buying an additional 136,785 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Vericel by 41.7% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 91,026 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,654,000 after buying an additional 26,790 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Vericel by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Virtus Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Vericel by 77.7% in the third quarter. Virtus Advisers LLC now owns 27,661 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,110,000 after buying an additional 12,091 shares during the last quarter.

More Vericel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vericel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stephens raised its price target to $68 from $55 and reiterated an “Overweight” rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Stephens rating information
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright lifted its estimates, including FY2026 EPS to $0.79 from $0.45 and FY2027 EPS to $0.89 from $0.68. The firm maintains a “Buy” rating and a $75 price target. Vericel analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also cited improving earnings-estimate revisions as a reason Vericel shares may continue gaining, adding to the constructive analyst outlook. Zacks article
• Neutral Sentiment: A report described a significant increase in short interest but listed total short interest as zero shares, so the figures do not provide a clear signal about bearish positioning.
• Neutral Sentiment: Vericel published its 2026 third-quarter earnings-call presentation; the article listing provided no specific new financial details. Earnings call presentation

Vericel Company Profile

Vericel Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing cell therapies and other treatments for serious conditions. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company markets its products primarily in the United States. Its products include MACI, an implant made from a patient’s own cultured cartilage cells used to repair certain cartilage defects in the knee, and Epicel, a cultured skin graft used to treat patients with deep burns. Vericel also commercializes NexoBrid in the United States, an enzyme-based treatment for removing dead tissue from severe thermal burns.