Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.59.

APLS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

APLS stock opened at $19.97 on Monday. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $19.76 and a 1-year high of $57.85. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $26.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.05. The company has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.84 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a current ratio of 4.36 and a quick ratio of 3.73.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.29) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.37) by $0.08. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 34.97% and a negative return on equity of 103.11%. The company had revenue of $212.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.92 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.73) earnings per share. Apellis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Apellis Pharmaceuticals news, insider Caroline Baumal sold 2,816 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total value of $95,208.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 55,560 shares in the company, valued at $1,878,483.60. The trade was a 4.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Cedric Francois sold 6,247 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.70, for a total value of $179,288.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 307,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,822,810.50. This trade represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 66,054 shares of company stock worth $1,952,719. 6.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of APLS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,884,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,036,000 after purchasing an additional 735,160 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 52.9% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 159,700 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,606,000 after purchasing an additional 55,282 shares during the last quarter. Old West Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,953,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 21,649 shares of the company’s stock valued at $691,000 after acquiring an additional 1,864 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 3,862.3% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 104,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,328,000 after purchasing an additional 101,655 shares during the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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. It offers EMPAVELI for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, C3 glomerulopathy and immune complex membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy; and SYFOVRE for treating geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy (GA).