Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Cut to Hold at William Blair

William Blair downgraded 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.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.11.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APLS opened at $40.41 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.14, a quick ratio of 2.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $16.10 and a 1-year high of $40.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 310.87 and a beta of -0.19. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $21.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.83.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.28 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.29) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CAO James George Chopas sold 2,064 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 value of $44,933.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 49,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,084,254.85. The trade was a 3.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Caroline Baumal sold 2,797 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 $60,890.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 86,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,883,692.79. This trade represents a 3.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 115,537 shares of company stock valued at $2,486,082. Corporate insiders own 6.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 567,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,244,000 after acquiring an additional 149,654 shares during the period. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $2,419,000. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. lifted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 155,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,517,000 after purchasing an additional 50,375 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,135,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 91.9% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 485,615 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,406,000 after purchasing an additional 232,506 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Apellis Pharmaceuticals News

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)

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.