Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Cut to “Hold” at Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird cut shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

APLS has been the subject of several other reports. Raymond James Financial downgraded Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “moderate buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wedbush reduced their price target 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, HC Wainwright downgraded shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $48.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.11.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.0%

Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $40.41 on Tuesday. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $16.10 and a fifty-two week high of $40.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 2.70 and a current ratio of 3.14. The company has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 310.87 and a beta of -0.19. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.83.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.39) by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $199.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.28 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 2.23%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.29) EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Nur Nicholson sold 7,725 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total value of $168,173.25. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 71,118 shares in the company, valued at $1,548,238.86. This trade represents a 9.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Pascal Deschatelets sold 5,928 shares of the business’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 $129,052.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,151,382 shares in the company, valued at $25,065,586.14. This represents a 0.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 115,537 shares of company stock valued at $2,486,082. 6.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APLS. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,373 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 141.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,570 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $64,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 338.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 4,191 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Biogen agreed to acquire Apellis for about $5.6B, bringing immediate valuation certainty (cash consideration of $41.00/share plus contingent value rights tied to SYFOVRE sales). Biogen to Acquire Apellis (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: APLS shares jumped dramatically on the deal announcement as traders priced in the buyout premium and CVR upside. APLS stock soars 140% (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several banks raised price targets to roughly $41 (Mizuho, Barclays, JPMorgan), but many gave neutral/equal-weight ratings — implying limited upside above the deal price and signaling more conservative near-term expectations. Analyst target updates (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary and comparisons highlight Apellis’ assets (SYFOVRE and immunology pipeline) as strategic for acquirers — useful context for longer‑term value but not an immediate catalyst beyond the acquisition. Comparing Apellis with competitors (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Major sell‑side shops have rapidly cut ratings (several downgrades from strong-buy/buy to hold/neutral), reflecting concerns about near-term growth post-sale, which could dampen secondary trading sentiment ahead of deal close. JP Morgan Downgrades Apellis (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Two law firms have launched shareholder investigations into the proposed sale (pricing and process), adding legal/closing‑risk uncertainty that could affect timing or terms. Shareholder investigation (PR Newswire)

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.