Meeder Asset Management Inc. Makes New Investment in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,174 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 4,126.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its position in Vericel by 319.0% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 662 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Vericel by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,484 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $114,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter.

Vericel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL opened at $57.26 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a PE ratio of 954.33 and a beta of 1.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $45.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.80. Vericel Co. has a 52-week low of $32.31 and a 52-week high of $57.81.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. The company had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.32 million. Analysts predict that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on VCEL. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $57.00 price target on the stock. Stephens boosted their target price on Vericel from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Vericel from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $58.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.35, for a total value of $235,361.55. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 11,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,850. This trade represents a 34.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.38, for a total value of $724,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 220,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,142,373.06. This trade represents a 7.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 29,166 shares of company stock worth $1,200,764. 5.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.