HC Wainwright Issues Optimistic Outlook for APLS Earnings

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) – Equities researchers at HC Wainwright boosted their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report released on Wednesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright analyst D. Tsao now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.62) for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of ($0.63). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is ($1.70) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.49) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.60) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.47) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($2.19) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($2.02) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($0.89) EPS and FY2029 earnings at $0.89 EPS.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by $0.86. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 2.23%.The business had revenue of $199.91 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.28 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.29) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $24.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $32.61.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

APLS opened at $21.64 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $23.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $23.81. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $16.10 and a 12-month high of $30.48. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 166.47 and a beta of 0.26. The company has a current ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 3.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,674,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,153,000 after acquiring an additional 687,471 shares during the last quarter. Deep Track Capital LP grew its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 14.3% during the third quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 8,000,382 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,049,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000,382 shares during the last quarter. RTW Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $192,589,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 46.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,976,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $103,452,000 after purchasing an additional 1,898,995 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,613,446 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,890,000 after purchasing an additional 575,802 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, insider Nur Nicholson sold 7,725 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total value of $168,173.25. Following the transaction, the insider owned 71,118 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,548,238.86. This represents a 9.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 7,832 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total value of $170,502.64. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 88,531 shares in the company, valued at $1,927,319.87. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 120,537 shares of company stock worth $2,608,532. Corporate insiders own 6.50% of the company’s stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised its long‑range outlook (FY2030 EPS to $1.97), reiterated a “Buy” and lifted its price target to $48 — a strongly bullish signal that likely supported buying interest this session. HC Wainwright raises target to $48
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its target from $45 to $44 but kept a “Buy” rating — a modestly cautious move that is unlikely to materially change conviction among bullish investors. Citigroup price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings/transcript sources for the Feb. 24 Q4 call are circulating (full transcript available) — the call contains detail investors will parse for guidance and product trends; headlines are mixed across outlets. Earnings call transcript (Yahoo) Earnings call transcript (InsiderMonkey)
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data released shows “0 shares” and NaN changes — this is almost certainly a reporting or processing error and should not be treated as a genuine change in borrow/short pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada cut its target to $21 and moved to “Sector Perform,” which signals lower near‑term expectations and adds selling pressure for more cautious holders. RBC target cut Coverage note
• Negative Sentiment: Wedbush lowered its target to $18 and moved to “Neutral,” another sign of reduced analyst conviction that could weigh on the stock if follow‑through selling occurs. Wedbush target cut Coverage note
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks flagged a wider‑than‑expected Q4 loss and an 8% slip in Syfovre sales (though total revenue beat estimates and Empaveli grew on a new indication) — mixed results that may keep some investors cautious until product trends clarify. Zacks earnings summary

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.