Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) CAO James George Chopas Sells 873 Shares

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) CAO James George Chopas sold 873 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.19, for a total transaction of $19,371.87. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 52,595 shares in the company, valued at $1,167,083.05. The trade was a 1.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ APLS opened at $20.53 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.23 and a beta of 0.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $22.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.39. The company has a quick ratio of 3.10, a current ratio of 3.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.10 and a 52-week high of $31.17.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $458.58 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $364.58 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 4.43%.The business’s revenue was up 133.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.46) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterates a Buy on Apellis, signaling continued conviction in longer‑term commercial execution and pipeline upside — a supportive note for investors focused beyond the near term. Wells Fargo Buy Note
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus initiated/issued a Buy (or reiterated) view, adding another constructive Wall Street voice that could help anchor valuation if execution improves. Stifel Buy Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remain conflicted on Apellis — some highlight upside from Syfovre rollout and nephrology expansion while others emphasize near‑term sales risk and valuation — expect continued mixed research notes and volatile reactions to company updates. Analysts Conflicted
• Negative Sentiment: Apellis disclosed preliminary Q4 U.S. net product revenue of $190M; commentary pointed to weaker Syfovre sales and mixed Empaveli uptake — the primary near‑term catalyst behind a sharp weekly decline and investor concern about commercial momentum. Zacks Coverage on Revenue/Weak Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Major research houses (Cantor Fitzgerald, Needham) cut forecasts or turned more pessimistic, increasing downward pressure by lowering investor expectations and modelled revenues. Cantor Fitzgerald Note Needham Note
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: multiple senior execs (CEO, CFO, GC and others) sold shares on Jan. 13 — the volume of insider disposals can be read negatively by the market even though filings show they retain large stakes. SEC Form 4 (CEO Sale)
• Negative Sentiment: Options flow showed a >500% spike in put purchases (6,398 puts), indicating elevated hedging and bearish bets that can amplify short‑term volatility and downside pressure. Source: options flow report

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 51,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,305,000 after purchasing an additional 3,804 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 35.9% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 567,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,244,000 after purchasing an additional 149,654 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $476,000. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 11,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $315,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 64.1% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

APLS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $24.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $33.65.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.