Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) hit a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $38.87 and last traded at $39.34, with a volume of 39486 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $41.92.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VCEL shares. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $61.00 price objective (down previously from $67.00) on shares of Vericel in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vericel has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.29.

Vericel Stock Down 5.8 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.98 billion, a PE ratio of 662.79 and a beta of 1.61. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $51.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 26,592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.78, for a total value of $1,217,381.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 259,997 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,902,662.66. This trade represents a 9.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $242,256.92. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $74,759.94. This represents a 76.42 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 34,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,683,582 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,454,139 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $79,847,000 after purchasing an additional 162,419 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Vericel by 119.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,288,921 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $70,775,000 after buying an additional 701,064 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Vericel by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 1,273,964 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $69,953,000 after buying an additional 30,180 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vericel by 66.3% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,258,416 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $69,100,000 after acquiring an additional 501,736 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vericel by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,166,115 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $64,046,000 after acquiring an additional 12,062 shares in the last quarter.

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.