Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Scotiabank Analyst Says

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by research analysts at Scotiabank from $30.00 to $31.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "sector perform" rating on the stock. Scotiabank's price target would suggest a potential upside of 56.99% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wedbush reduced their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $45.59.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of APLS stock traded down $0.22 on Wednesday, reaching $19.75. 2,681,463 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,101,106. 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 has a one year low of $18.25 and a one year high of $57.85. The stock has a market cap of $2.48 billion, a PE ratio of -9.73 and a beta of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $26.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $28.96.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.73) EPS. The company's revenue was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Cedric Francois sold 6,247 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.70, for a total value of $179,288.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 307,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,822,810.50. This represents a 1.99 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Timothy Eugene Sullivan sold 2,170 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.70, for a total value of $62,279.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 88,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,528,470. This represents a 2.40 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 63,238 shares of company stock valued at $1,857,510 in the last quarter. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of APLS. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1,795.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,235 shares of the company's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 9,695 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 140.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 33,594 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,072,000 after acquiring an additional 19,641 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 3,791.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 997,053 shares of the company's stock worth $31,816,000 after purchasing an additional 971,431 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 212,887 shares of the company's stock worth $6,793,000 after purchasing an additional 21,822 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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).