Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. Has $988,000 Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 60.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,383 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,791 shares during the period. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $988,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VCEL. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd bought a new position in Vericel during the 1st quarter worth about $595,000. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Vericel in the first quarter valued at $6,538,000. Scholtz & Company LLC acquired a new position in Vericel in the second quarter valued at $1,357,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 6.5% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 420,643 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $19,299,000 after purchasing an additional 25,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. increased its stake in Vericel by 37.4% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,291,720 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,575,000 after purchasing an additional 351,550 shares in the last quarter.

Vericel Stock Performance

VCEL stock opened at $55.83 on Wednesday. Vericel Co. has a one year low of $32.31 and a one year high of $57.81. The firm has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 930.66 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.80.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a net margin of 1.56% and a return on equity of 1.48%. The firm had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.32 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that Vericel Co. will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Activity at Vericel

In other news, CEO Dominick Colangelo sold 17,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was 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 directly owns 220,937 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,142,373.06. This represents a 7.34 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Steven C. Gilman sold 5,833 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 11,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,850. This trade represents a 34.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 29,166 shares of company stock worth $1,200,764. Company insiders own 7.20% of the company’s stock.

Vericel Profile

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.