Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Downgraded by Roth Mkm to “Hold”

Roth Mkm cut shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report published on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wedbush cut their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Apellis Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $34.11.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:APLS opened at $40.41 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $21.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.83. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 310.87 and a beta of -0.19. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $16.10 and a one year high of $40.48.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.28 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.29) EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Mark Jeffrey Delong sold 3,371 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 $73,386.67. Following the sale, the insider owned 78,353 shares in the company, valued at $1,705,744.81. The trade was a 4.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 86,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,883,692.79. The trade was a 3.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 115,537 shares of company stock valued at $2,486,082 over the last quarter. 6.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RTW Investments LP purchased a new stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $192,589,000. Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 11,373.8% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,704,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,821,000 after acquiring an additional 2,681,263 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $40,977,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 46.6% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,976,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $103,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,898,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Polar Capital Holdings Plc lifted its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 96.0% in the 3rd quarter. Polar Capital Holdings Plc now owns 2,650,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,975,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298,055 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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.