Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Shares Down 5.5% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL) fell 5.5% on Friday . The stock traded as low as $35.69 and last traded at $34.8670. 7,420 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 99% from the average session volume of 521,954 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.88.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VCEL. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Vericel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Vericel from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vericel in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Vericel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Vericel has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.50.

Vericel Trading Up 2.6%

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.27. The company has a market capitalization of $1.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 150.94 and a beta of 1.24.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.02) by $0.12. Vericel had a return on equity of 4.30% and a net margin of 5.06%.The firm had revenue of $67.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $64.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.02) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Vericel Corporation will post 0.14 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Vericel by 90.3% during the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,210,929 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $69,578,000 after acquiring an additional 1,048,864 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Vericel by 244.6% in the 2nd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 859,486 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $35,755,000 after purchasing an additional 610,045 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Vericel by 30.7% during the second quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,784,927 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $75,949,000 after purchasing an additional 419,183 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Vericel by 19.5% in the second quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,463,590 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $104,826,000 after purchasing an additional 401,990 shares during the period. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Vericel by 62.5% in the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 997,291 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $42,435,000 after buying an additional 383,498 shares in the last quarter.

Vericel Company Profile

Vericel Corporation is a biotechnology company specializing in the development, manufacturing and commercialization of cell-based therapies for patients with severe diseases and conditions. The company’s expertise lies in regenerative medicine, where it harnesses the power of autologous cell processing to create products designed to restore function and promote healing in damaged tissues.

Vericel currently markets two FDA-approved therapies. MACI® (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) is indicated for the repair of symptomatic cartilage defects of the knee in adult patients.