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

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $45.53.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock. Wedbush lowered their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

APLS stock traded down $0.28 during trading on Thursday, reaching $25.04. The stock had a trading volume of 1,520,174 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,926,772. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $23.77 and a 52 week high of $63.07. The stock's 50 day moving average is $29.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $31.07. The company has a current ratio of 4.36, a quick ratio of 3.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of -12.33 and a beta of 0.93.

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Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.37) by $0.08. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 103.11% and a negative net margin of 34.97%. The company had revenue of $212.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.92 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.73) earnings per share. Apellis Pharmaceuticals's revenue was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other Apellis Pharmaceuticals news, CAO James George Chopas sold 1,096 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.43, for a total transaction of $33,351.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 48,138 shares in the company, valued at $1,464,839.34. This trade represents a 2.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,569 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.10, for a total value of $139,781.90. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 138,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,482,123. This represents a 3.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 65,934 shares of company stock worth $1,950,261 in the last quarter. 6.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 2,707.1% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 786 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 357.2% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.29% of the company's stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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).