Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

VCEL has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen upped their target price on Vericel from $55.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Vericel in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Truist Financial set a $65.00 price target on Vericel in a research note on Friday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $60.00 price objective on Vericel in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on Vericel from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.80.

Vericel Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VCEL opened at $54.62 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 85.35 and a beta of 1.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $41.01 and a 200-day moving average of $38.90. Vericel has a one year low of $28.95 and a one year high of $55.60.

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $85.37 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.95 million. Vericel had a return on equity of 9.09% and a net margin of 10.27%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.10 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Vericel will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Vericel

In related news, insider Sean C. Flynn sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.92, for a total transaction of $778,800.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $103,320.80. The trade was a 88.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Jonathan Siegal sold 1,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.90, for a total transaction of $79,350.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,259 shares in the company, valued at $66,601.10. The trade was a 54.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 22,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,128,340 over the last three months. 7.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Vericel during the 2nd quarter worth about $360,023,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Vericel in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $88,662,000. Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Vericel by 204.7% in the third quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 2,164,250 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $86,873,000 after buying an additional 1,454,012 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Vericel in the second quarter worth approximately $45,210,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Vericel by 3.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 844,755 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,173,000 after buying an additional 29,135 shares during the last quarter.

Key Vericel News

Here are the key news stories impacting Vericel this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Vericel reported Q3 revenue of $85.4 million, up 26.5% year over year and above the $78.0 million consensus. Earnings per share of $0.27 also topped estimates of $0.06, while net income rose 179% to $14.2 million. Vericel Q3 results and guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its FY2026 revenue outlook to $344 million–$346 million, above analyst expectations of roughly $336 million, and lifted its adjusted EBITDA margin guidance to 28%. The stronger outlook, alongside record MACI sales, helped fuel investor optimism. Vericel shares rise on record revenue and higher outlook
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised its price target to $75 from $72 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling continued analyst confidence in the stock’s prospects. HC Wainwright price target update
• Negative Sentiment: Several Vericel directors and insiders disclosed stock sales totaling about 22,000 shares on November 4–5. One insider’s sale reduced their reported stake by 88%, which may be a near-term concern for investors, though insider sales alone do not establish a negative outlook. SEC insider transaction filing

About Vericel

Vericel Corporation is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and marketing advanced cell therapies and regenerative medicine products. The company serves orthopedic and burn-care markets, with an emphasis on treatments that use a patient’s own cells or biologic materials to support tissue repair and healing.

Vericel’s primary orthopedic product is MACI, an autologous cultured chondrocyte implant used to repair symptomatic cartilage defects of the knee in adults.