Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) Shares Acquired by Congress Asset Management Co.

Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,454,139 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 162,419 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $79,847,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VCEL. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 4,126.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 619 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Vericel by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 405 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake 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 valued at $77,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Vericel during the 3rd quarter valued at about $92,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Vericel by 826.6% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,511 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $138,000 after buying an additional 2,240 shares during the period.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of VCEL opened at $57.09 on Friday. Vericel Co. has a one year low of $39.12 and a one year high of $63.00. The company has a 50-day moving average of $57.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.34. The stock has a market cap of $2.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 951.66 and a beta of 1.72.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on VCEL shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Vericel in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. BTIG Research lifted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $63.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $150,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,595,700. This trade represents a 8.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $587,200.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 58,371 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,427,545.12. This represents a 14.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 22,600 shares of company stock worth $1,356,072 over the last ninety days. 5.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Vericel Company 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.