Cerity Partners LLC Reduces Holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

Cerity Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,396 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 8,192 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC owned about 0.12% of Vericel worth $3,261,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Vericel by 119.3% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,288,921 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $70,775,000 after buying an additional 701,064 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Vericel during the 4th quarter worth about $28,126,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Vericel by 66.3% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,258,416 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $69,100,000 after purchasing an additional 501,736 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,122,373 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $61,630,000 after purchasing an additional 227,675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Vericel by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 1,454,139 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $79,847,000 after purchasing an additional 162,419 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on VCEL shares. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Vericel from $61.00 to $51.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com upgraded Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. One research 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Vericel

In other Vericel news, Director Robert L. Md Zerbe sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.50, for a total value of $156,250.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,662,187.50. 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 is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $242,256.92. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,206 shares in the company, valued at approximately $74,759.94. This represents a 76.42 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 58,942 shares of company stock valued at $2,724,548 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Vericel Price Performance

NASDAQ VCEL opened at $41.23 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $48.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 687.28 and a beta of 1.61. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $37.76 and a 1-year high of $63.00.

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.