Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Earns Neutral Rating from HC Wainwright

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by analysts at HC Wainwright in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $41.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $48.00. HC Wainwright’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 1.91% from the company’s previous close.

APLS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Needham & Company LLC lowered shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Roth Mkm initiated coverage on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, March 13th. They set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $32.05.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APLS opened at $40.23 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 309.49 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 2.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $16.10 and a 1 year high of $40.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $21.11 and a 200-day moving average of $22.58.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by $0.86. The company had revenue of $199.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.28 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 2.23%.The business’s revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.29) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other Apellis Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Cedric Francois sold 27,192 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $591,969.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 286,045 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,227,199.65. The trade was a 8.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Jeffrey Delong sold 3,371 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total value of $73,386.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 78,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,744.81. This trade represents a 4.12% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 115,537 shares of company stock worth $2,486,082. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 207.4% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 29,559 shares of the company’s stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,944 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 26.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 307,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,730,000 after purchasing an additional 64,742 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 222,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,869,000 after purchasing an additional 9,747 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 118.4% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 11,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1,146.2% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 23,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 22,052 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Apellis Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deal: Biogen agreed to acquire Apellis for ~$5.6B — $41 cash per share plus a CVR worth up to $4 tied to SYFOVRE sales, creating an immediate cash floor and contingent upside for shareholders. Biogen to buy Apellis Pharmaceuticals for $5.6 billion
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic rationale: Biogen highlights SYFOVRE and broader C3 program fit — the acquisition accelerates Biogen’s entry into nephrology/CKD and adds Apellis’ complement pathway assets to its growth pipeline. Biogen Secures ‘Running Start’ in Kidney Disease With $5.6B Apellis Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/ratings activity: Some firms have reiterated cautious stances or trimmed models (Needham reaffirmed a Hold; Cantor Fitzgerald earlier cut its PT to $31), reflecting differing views on long‑term standalone value vs. deal terms. Benzinga coverage Cantor Fitzgerald Cuts PT on Apellis Pharmaceuticals
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder litigation risk: multiple law firms (Kahn Swick & Foti, Ademi LLP, Halper Sadeh) have launched investigations into whether the $41 per‑share price and sale process are fair — litigation or demands for a higher bid could delay closing, increase costs, or prompt renegotiation. Apellis Pharmaceuticals Investor Alert: Kahn Swick & Foti Shareholder Alert: The Ademi Firm investigates APLS Stock Alert: Halper Sadeh LLC investigation

About Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, traded as NASDAQ:APLS, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies targeting the complement cascade for the treatment of rare and debilitating diseases. The company’s research and development efforts center on modulating complement proteins to address a range of ophthalmologic, hematologic and renal conditions. Apellis leverages its proprietary compstatin technology platform to design targeted inhibitors intended to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

The company’s lead marketed product, Syfovre (pegcetacoplan), is an intravitreal complement C3 inhibitor approved for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, with ongoing investigations in other retinal disorders.