Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Lowered to Sell Rating by Wall Street Zen

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on APLS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.61.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APLS opened at $20.96 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 3.14 and a quick ratio of 3.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 161.24 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $23.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.79. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $16.10 and a fifty-two week high of $30.48.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.28 million. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.29) EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apellis Pharmaceuticals news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 7,832 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 $170,502.64. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 88,531 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,927,319.87. This represents a 8.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Pascal Deschatelets sold 5,928 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 $129,052.56. Following the transaction, the insider owned 1,151,382 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,065,586.14. This trade represents a 0.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 120,537 shares of company stock valued at $2,608,532 over the last three months. 6.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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

Apellis Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright retains a “Buy” rating and a $48 price target, signaling continued analyst conviction in Apellis’ longer‑term upside. HC Wainwright Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright published a long‑range forecast that includes a return to positive EPS by FY2030 (EPS ~$1.97), which underpins the firm’s $48 target and suggests expected recovery beyond the near term. HC Wainwright Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Apellis’ latest quarter delivered an EPS beat ($0.47 vs. expectations) but revenue was down ~6% year‑over‑year — a mixed fundamental print that reduces downside surprise risk but highlights demand pressure.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data in recent filings appears anomalous (zero / NaN entries) and is not a reliable signal of investor positioning at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright sharply lowered near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts (e.g., FY2026 cut to ~($2.19) from ($1.69); FY2027, FY2028 and several quarterly estimates were also reduced), increasing near‑term earnings uncertainty and pressuring the stock. HC Wainwright Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup trimmed its price target to $44, signaling reduced upside in the nearer term and contributing to downward pressure. Citigroup Lowers Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Price Target to $44.00
• Negative Sentiment: Wedbush and Royal Bank of Canada also lowered expectations, adding to the analyst‑driven sell pressure. Wedbush Has Lowered Expectations for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock Price Royal Bank Of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock Price

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.