China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 1,036 Shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 11.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,466 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,036 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Vericel were worth $575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Vericel by 4,126.7% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Vericel by 48.1% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 405 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Vericel by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,773 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 322 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Vericel during the 3rd quarter worth $92,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 826.6% during the fourth 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.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 3,908 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $242,256.92. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul K. Wotton sold 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $152,672.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 27,402 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,045.44. The trade was a 8.67 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 19,008 shares of company stock worth $1,132,129 over the last three months. Company insiders own 5.20% of the company’s stock.

Vericel Price Performance

Shares of VCEL stock opened at $58.54 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $57.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.86. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $39.12 and a 1-year high of $61.99. The company has a market cap of $2.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 975.83 and a beta of 1.72.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.02) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.03. Vericel had a return on equity of 1.48% and a net margin of 1.56%. The company had revenue of $57.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.32 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Vericel Co. will post 0.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VCEL has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vericel from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Vericel from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Vericel presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.14.

About Vericel

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.