Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) Issues Earnings Results, Meets Estimates

Vericel (NASDAQ:VCEL) issued its earnings results on Thursday. The biotechnology company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $92.92 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.66 million. Vericel had a net margin of 5.06% and a return on equity of 4.30%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 earnings per share.

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

• The company reported record Q4 revenue of $92.9M (up 23% YoY) and MACI Q4 revenue of $84.1M, delivered record net income and industry-leading margins (Q4 gross margin ~79% and adjusted EBITDA margin 40%), and ended 2025 with ~$200M cash and no debt.
• Management guided 2026 revenue to approximately $316M–$326M (MACI: $280M–$286M; Burn Care: $36M–$40M), expects Q1 company growth >20% and MACI Q1 of ~$54M–$55M, leaving room for upside if momentum continues.
• Key commercial drivers include a ~30% expansion of the MACI sales force and ~1,000 MACI Arthro‑trained surgeons, with Arthro-trained and implanting surgeons showing higher biopsy, implant and conversion rates that management expects to further penetrate existing practices.
• Guidance factors include higher operating costs (OpEx ~$220M) and near-term margin pressure from Burlington manufacturing start‑up and the Phase 3 MACI Ankle trial, and management did not include potential BARDA NexoBrid award revenue in its 2026 guidance due to timing uncertainty.

Vericel Trading Up 1.6%

VCEL stock traded up $0.59 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $37.68. 608,509 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 499,668. The stock has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 157.01 and a beta of 1.24. Vericel has a 52-week low of $29.24 and a 52-week high of $55.41. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37.08 and its 200 day moving average is $36.12.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on VCEL. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Vericel from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Vericel in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research cut Vericel from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Vericel from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.50.

Institutional Trading of Vericel

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Vericel during the 1st quarter worth approximately $242,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Vericel by 6.2% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,445 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,403,000 after buying an additional 1,847 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Vericel by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 371,486 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $16,576,000 after buying an additional 44,333 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Vericel by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 123,028 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,490,000 after purchasing an additional 10,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Vericel by 5.1% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 277,253 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $11,797,000 after buying an additional 13,422 shares during the last quarter.

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.