Swiss National Bank Has $5.30 Million Position in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 96,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,100 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Vericel were worth $5,299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 13,803 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Vericel by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,540 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 785 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 184.6% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 24,568 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after acquiring an additional 15,936 shares in the last quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. grew its position in Vericel by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Alpha Capital Management Ltd. now owns 24,720 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,357,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Vericel during the 4th quarter valued at $28,126,000.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

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

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VCEL opened at $47.94 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.73. Vericel Co. has a fifty-two week low of $39.12 and a fifty-two week high of $63.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 799.13 and a beta of 1.78.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VCEL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, February 28th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. BTIG Research upped their target price on shares of Vericel from $56.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $62.29.

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.