Royal Bank of Canada Has $28.38 Million Stock Holdings in Vericel Corporation $VCEL

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its position in shares of Vericel Corporation (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 882,162 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 112,892 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Vericel were worth $28,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Vericel during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Vericel in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Vericel by 116.5% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 970 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Vericel by 175.4% in the fourth quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vericel during the 4th quarter worth about $58,000.

Key Vericel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vericel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $70 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. The firm projects earnings growth from $0.68 per share in fiscal 2027 to $1.13 in 2028, $1.61 in 2029 and $2.21 in 2030, suggesting confidence in Vericel’s long-term growth potential.
• Positive Sentiment: Truist Financial reiterated its Buy rating on Vericel, adding to the positive analyst backdrop. Vericel’s Buy Rating Reiterated at Truist Financial
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright’s longer-term earnings outlook remains constructive, but its estimates indicate that profitability may build gradually rather than accelerate immediately. The analyst expects a $0.13-per-share loss in the first quarter of 2027 before earnings improve in subsequent years.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright reduced its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $0.02 from $0.12, its Q1 2027 forecast to a $0.13 loss from a $0.10 loss, and its fiscal 2027 forecast to $0.68 from $0.73. These cuts point to softer near-term results and could weigh on the stock despite the unchanged Buy rating and $70 target.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VCEL has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $58.00 price objective (up from $54.00) on shares of Vericel in a research report on Friday, July 31st. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Vericel from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Vericel in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $58.40.

Vericel Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Vericel stock opened at $46.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 98.60 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $42.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.52. Vericel Corporation has a 1-year low of $28.95 and a 1-year high of $49.32.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The biotechnology company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $77.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.70 million. Vericel had a net margin of 7.91% and a return on equity of 6.91%. Vericel’s quarterly revenue was up 22.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.01) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Vericel Corporation will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Jonathan Mark Hopper sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.00, for a total transaction of $450,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 75,753 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,408,885. This trade represents a 11.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 4,500 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.90, for a total value of $220,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,078 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,714.20. The trade was a 80.67% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 52,232 shares of company stock valued at $2,304,217. Company insiders own 7.60% of the company’s stock.

Vericel Company Profile

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.