Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Price Target Raised to $41.00 at Barclays

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) had its price objective increased by Barclays from $24.00 to $41.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $41.00 price target (down from $44.00) on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apellis Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $33.00.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $40.39 on Wednesday. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $16.10 and a 12-month high of $40.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 3.14 and a quick ratio of 2.70. The company has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 310.72 and a beta of 0.26. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $21.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.71.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $199.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $199.28 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.29) EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Apellis Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Cedric Francois sold 27,192 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $591,969.84. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 286,045 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,227,199.65. This trade represents a 8.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Nur Nicholson sold 7,725 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total value of $168,173.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 71,118 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,548,238.86. The trade was a 9.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 115,537 shares of company stock valued at $2,486,082. 6.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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

Apellis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Biogen agreed to buy Apellis for about $5.6B at $41.00/share in cash plus a CVR (up to $4 per share contingent on SYFOVRE sales). The deal creates an immediate cash floor near the offer price and is the primary catalyst for the stock move. Biogen to buy Apellis for $5.6B (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: APLS experienced an outsized intraday rally and volume surge following the deal announcement, signaling strong market recognition of the takeover premium and active position adjustments by investors. APLS stock moves 135.4% higher (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms updated price targets quickly to the $41 offer level (Barclays raised its PT dramatically from $24 to $41; JPMorgan and others moved or reaffirmed targets at $41), reducing near‑term upside beyond the bid and signaling analyst alignment with the transaction terms. Analyst reaction roundup (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and analysis pieces describe the strategic rationale for Biogen—adding C3/C5 complement therapies and accelerating nephrology/immunology growth—but these are background drivers rather than immediate share-movement triggers now that a cash offer is on the table. Biogen rationale and portfolio fit (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst ratings mostly remain “neutral/market perform/equal weight” despite PT convergence at the offer price; that suggests limited analyst-driven upside beyond the bid absent a higher competing bid or improved CVR prospects. Investment story shifting with deals and analyst revisions (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple shareholder law firms have launched investigations and alerts challenging the adequacy of the deal price and sale process—introducing litigation and deal‑approval risk that could delay or alter the transaction terms. These actions create execution uncertainty for investors relying on a clean, timely close. Shareholder investigation (PR Newswire)
• Negative Sentiment: A few broker changes (Needham downgrade; previous Cantor Fitzgerald PT cut) and remaining uncertainty over the CVR payout make upside beyond $41 speculative—returns above the offer depend on competing bids, litigation outcomes, or better-than-expected SYFOVRE sales that trigger CVR payments. Cantor Fitzgerald PT cut (InsiderMonkey)

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.