Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Given “Neutral” Rating at HC Wainwright

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

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Needham & Company LLC downgraded shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wedbush cut their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.05.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

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

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by $0.86. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The company had revenue of $199.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.28 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.29) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 7,832 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total value of $170,502.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 88,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,927,319.87. This trade represents a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Timothy Eugene Sullivan sold 10,287 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $223,947.99. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 93,901 shares in the company, valued at $2,044,224.77. This represents a 9.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 115,537 shares of company stock valued at $2,486,082 in the last ninety days. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 206.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,373 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 141.2% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 64.1% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 857 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at $64,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 338.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after acquiring an additional 4,191 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories 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.