Insider Selling: Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) Insider Sells 2,955 Shares of Stock

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS – Get Rating) insider Karen Lewis sold 2,955 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.58, for a total transaction of $152,418.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 37,709 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,945,030.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $1.21 on Wednesday, hitting $50.49. 1,613,429 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,088,071. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 6.69 and a current ratio of 7.21. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.32 and a 52-week high of $70.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $50.28 and its 200 day moving average is $55.72.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 7th. The company reported ($1.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.48) by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $22.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.82 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 560.92% and a negative return on equity of 194.70%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -6.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in APLS. US Bancorp DE raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 391.2% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 884 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $65,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners acquired a new stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth $136,000. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 15.5% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 3,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on APLS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $81.00 to $79.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 15th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 8th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $70.00 to $40.00 in a report on Thursday, November 10th. Wedbush decreased their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $59.00 to $47.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut Apellis Pharmaceuticals from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $83.00 to $58.00 in a report on Monday, January 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.23.

About Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapeutic compounds through the inhibition of the complement system for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The company's lead product candidate is pegcetacoplan that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) in age-related macular degeneration and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) diseases.