Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Announces Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.08 EPS

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The biotechnology company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.04) by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $77.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.69 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 6.41% and a net margin of 7.35%.Vericel’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.01) earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Vericel’s conference call:

• Record Q2 revenue of $77.5 million increased 22% year over year, driven by strength in both MACI and Burn Care. GAAP net income reached $2.2 million and free cash flow was $14.3 million.
• Vericel raised full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $330 million–$340 million, including higher MACI guidance of $284 million–$290 million and Burn Care guidance of $46 million–$50 million. Management cited strong biopsy and implant growth, commercial execution, and continued MACI Arthro adoption.
• Burn Care revenue rose 22% to approximately $12 million, with Epicel contributing $10.4 million and NexoBrid reaching record revenue of more than $1.5 million. NexoBrid also posted records for ordering centers and hospital unit sales, while BARDA procurement is expected to contribute approximately $3 million in Q3.
• The board authorized Vericel’s first $200 million share repurchase program, supported by approximately $227 million in cash and investments. Management said the program will be balanced with continued investment in internal growth, international expansion, clinical studies, and potential M&A.
• Vericel submitted a U.K. marketing authorization application for MACI and remains on track for a potential 2027 launch, while the MACI ankle MASCOT study began enrolling patients. Management expects the U.K. opportunity to require only a limited commercial investment, but approval and reimbursement remain pending.

Vericel Stock Up 2.1%

Vericel stock traded up $0.99 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $47.61. 986,900 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 467,569. Vericel has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $49.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $41.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.33. The company has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a PE ratio of 113.36 and a beta of 1.07.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.21, for a total value of $603,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,225.87. This represents a 90.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 2,732 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.90, for a total transaction of $122,666.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 886 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $39,781.40. This represents a 75.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 47,732 shares of company stock worth $2,084,167. 7.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in Vericel in the fourth quarter worth approximately $362,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel in the third quarter valued at $345,000. Bridgewater Associates LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter valued at $308,000. Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Vericel during the fourth quarter valued at about $300,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Vericel during the fourth quarter worth about $300,000.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VCEL. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Vericel from $42.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Vericel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Vericel from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $57.50.

About Vericel

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.