Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Monday, Zacks reports.

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

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of VCEL stock opened at $59.03 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 91.23 and a beta of 1.08. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $41.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.10. Vericel has a 12 month low of $28.95 and a 12 month high of $59.72.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.27 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.21. The business 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Vericel will post 0.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Vericel by 24.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,194 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 237 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vericel by 17.7% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,886 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 283 shares during the period. Kopp Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vericel by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kopp Family Office LLC now owns 51,352 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,061,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Vericel by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 157,081 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,195,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the period. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Vericel by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 23,079 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,027,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter.

Trending Headlines about Vericel

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

About Vericel

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.