Skip to main content
TipRanks
Go Ultimate75% OFF

Vericel (VCEL) AI Stock Analysis

665 Followers
VCEL

Vericel

(NASDAQ:VCEL)

Select Model
Rating:70Outperform
Price Target:$57.00â–¼(-4.12% Downside)
Action:reiterated
Date:11/06/26

The score is driven primarily by improving financial performance (profitability inflection, strong margins, positive cash generation) and a very positive earnings call with raised guidance. These positives are moderated by elevated valuation (high P/E, no yield) and technical overbought signals despite a strong uptrend.

Positive Factors
MACI Growth and AdoptionSustained MACI growth, supported by record biopsies, implants, and participating surgeons, indicates expanding clinical adoption rather than a single-quarter benefit. Broader surgeon engagement and practice penetration can reinforce procedure volume and support durable revenue growth over coming quarters.
Negative Factors
Slowing Recent Revenue GrowthThe latest deceleration in revenue growth raises the execution burden for sustaining earnings momentum, even as the company remains profitable. If slower top-line growth persists, operating leverage may become harder to expand and future guidance increases could require stronger contribution from newer opportunities.

Vericel (VCEL) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-40%-20%0%20%40%60%VCEL+49.15%SPY+14.28%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
Market Cap
$3.03B
Dividend Yield
―
Average Volume (3M)
638.01K
Price to Earnings (P/E)
90.1
Beta (1Y)
0.35
Revenue Growth
25.30%
EPS Growth
147.62%
Country
US
Employees
398
Sector
Healthcare
Sector Strength
51
Industry
Biotechnology

Vericel Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Vericel Corporation operates as a biopharmaceutical firm that has reached the commercialization phase, specializing in the research, development, production, and distribution of cell-based treatments. Its primary therapeutic areas are sports medicine...

How the Company Makes Money

Vericel primarily makes money by selling its FDA-approved and marketed therapies and related services to hospitals, burn centers, and orthopedic/sports medicine providers, generating product revenue when its products are ordered and used for patient...

Vericel Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Nov 05, 2026(Q3-2026)|% Change Since:30.72%|Next Earnings Date:Feb 25, 2027
Earnings Call SentimentPositive

The call conveyed strong positive momentum across both commercial franchises, with record revenue, substantial profitability and free cash flow growth, repeated guidance increases, expanding MACI adoption, and improving burn care execution. Management also highlighted multiple 2027 and longer-term growth drivers. The main challenges were the inherent variability of Epicel and the lack of formal 2027 guidance, but these were outweighed by the reported operating and financial performance.

Positive Updates

Record Revenue and Raised Full-Year Guidance
Third-quarter total revenue reached a record $85.4 million, increasing 26% year over year and significantly exceeding guidance. Full-year revenue guidance was raised to $344 million-$346 million from $330 million-$340 million, representing 25% revenue growth at the midpoint and an increase of nearly $25 million since the start of the year.

Negative Updates

Epicel and Burn Care Remain Inherently Variable
Management noted that Epicel performance is lumpy by nature and that the company cannot control the number of catastrophic burns or the number of patients who survive to be treated. While execution has improved and performance has been stronger for several quarters, the company continues to apply a disciplined approach to burn care guidance.

Company Guidance

Vericel raised full-year total revenue guidance to $344 million-$346 million, representing 25% revenue growth for the year at the midpoint and an increase in revenue guidance of nearly $25 million since the start of the year; full-year MACI revenue guidance increased to $290 million-$292 million, with fourth-quarter MACI guidance of 21% growth, or approximately $102 million of revenue at the midpoint, with upside if recent trends continue into December; full-year burn care revenue guidance increased to approximately $54 million, implying $12 million of total fourth-quarter burn care revenue, including $9 million of Epicel and commercial NexoBrid revenue and $3 million of NexoBrid BARDA procurement revenue; full-year gross margin is expected to be approximately 75%, and full-year adjusted EBITDA margin guidance increased to approximately 28% from 27%; the company expects another $3 million of BARDA procurement revenue in the fourth quarter and about $4 million to start next year in the first quarter, with opportunities for further procurement later in the year, remains on track for a potential MACI U.K. launch in the second half of 2027, and expects to reach the high 30% range for adjusted EBITDA margin over the next few years.

Vericel Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Financial statements show a transition to profitability with strong gross margins (~75% TTM) and positive operating/free cash flow, alongside manageable leverage. Key offsets are the slowdown in TTM revenue growth and some free-cash-flow volatility noted in the cash flow analysis.

Income Statement

78Positive

Balance Sheet

74Positive

Cash Flow

71Positive
Financial statement breakdown
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue324.17M276.26M237.22M197.52M164.37M156.18M
Gross Profit241.41M205.60M172.11M135.58M109.79M106.03M
EBITDA48.58M30.29M16.63M2.86M-11.64M-4.61M
Net Income33.31M16.52M10.36M-3.18M-16.71M-7.47M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets517.11M487.97M432.72M353.66M273.00M243.71M
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments170.27M137.50M116.21M109.56M119.54M103.40M
Total Debt91.15M98.27M98.85M88.04M47.57M50.18M
Total Liabilities132.94M133.33M140.75M127.70M80.73M73.24M
Stockholders Equity384.17M354.64M291.97M225.95M192.27M170.46M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow45.87M24.75M-5.81M7.80M10.09M21.13M
Operating Cash Flow65.31M51.91M58.16M35.31M17.69M29.04M
Investing Cash Flow-26.12M-43.94M-79.03M-3.13M-36.21M-3.50M
Financing Cash Flow-6.10M7.07M19.05M3.62M1.04M9.17M

Vericel Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price59.45

Price Trends

50DMA41.75Positive
100DMA43.26Positive
200DMA39.08Positive

Market Momentum

MACD3.69Negative
RSI82.28Negative
STOCH95.03Negative

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For VCEL, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 59.45 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 44.51, above the 50-day MA of 41.75, and above the 200-day MA of 39.08, indicating a bullish trend. The MACD of 3.69 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 82.28 is Negative, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 95.03 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for VCEL.

Vericel Risk Analysis

Vericel disclosed 66 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Vericel reported the most risks in the "Tech & Innovation" category.

Higher RiskSector Avg.Lower RiskFinance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Tech & Innovation - Risks related to the company’s reliance on technology and ability to make innovative products

Latest Risks Added

3 New Risks
1.If we do not effectively expand and train our direct sales force, we may be unable to add new customers or increase sales to our existing customers, and our business will be adversely affected.Q4, 2025
2.Expansion into international markets is an aspect of our long-term growth, and as we expand internationally, we will face additional business, political, legal, regulatory, operational, financial, and economic risks, any of which could increase our costs and hinder such growth.Q4, 2025
3.Inadequate funding for the FDA and other government agencies and/or other disruptions could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.Q1, 2025

Vericel Peers Comparison

Overall Rating

UnderperformOutperform
Sector (51)

Financial Indicators

VCEL against its peers
NameOverall RatingMarket CapP/E RatioROEDividend YieldRevenue GrowthEPS Growth
VCELVCEL70Outperform$3.01B90.089.09%―25.30%147.62%
MESOMESO62Neutral$1.85B-30.92-10.06%―600.89%47.33%
Sector *51Neutral$7.86B-0.30-43.30%2.27%22.53%-2.21%
PROKPROK48Neutral$335.63M-1.988.83%―55.22%2.13%
RARERARE48Neutral$1.65B-3.22213.22%―15.76%12.63%
PGENPGEN46Neutral$1.62B69.1157.93%―2387.61%―
SANASANA44Neutral$728.11M-4.32-97.08%――45.15%

* Healthcare Sector Average

Performance Comparison

-50%0%50%100%VCELMESOPGENRARESANAPROKDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
VCEL and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
VCELVericel Corporation59.4519.6149.22%
MESOMesoblast13.65-1.27-8.51%
PGENPrecigen, Inc.4.720.8622.28%
RAREUltragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc.16.70-16.20-49.24%
SANASana Biotechnology, Inc.2.29-1.37-37.43%
PROKProkidney Corp.1.13-1.15-50.44%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.

Date of analysis: Nov 06, 2026