GW&K Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL)

GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Vericel Co. (NASDAQ:VCEL) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,273,964 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 30,180 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned approximately 2.58% of Vericel worth $69,953,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Vericel by 4,126.7% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 634 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI purchased a new stake in Vericel during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Vericel by 48.1% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,247 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake 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 valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Vericel during the 3rd quarter valued at $92,000.

Insider Activity at Vericel

In related news, Director Paul K. Wotton sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.72, for a total transaction of $152,672.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 27,402 shares in the company, valued at $1,609,045.44. This represents a 8.67 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 1,092 shares of Vericel stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $67,693.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,206 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $74,759.94. The trade was a 47.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,100 shares of company stock valued at $1,206,072 over the last three months. 5.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on VCEL shares. Truist Financial increased their price target on Vericel from $61.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Vericel in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of Vericel from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BTIG Research boosted 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, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 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 assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.14.

Vericel Stock Performance

VCEL opened at $49.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 827.14 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a 50-day moving average of $57.30 and a 200-day moving average of $51.75. Vericel Co. has a 1-year low of $39.12 and a 1-year high of $63.00.

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.