Candriam S.C.A. Sells 140,456 Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Free Report) by 20.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 539,602 shares of the company's stock after selling 140,456 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned 0.43% of Apellis Pharmaceuticals worth $17,219,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in APLS. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 34.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 679 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 25,622 shares of the company's stock worth $739,000 after buying an additional 1,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 70.0% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,000 after acquiring an additional 1,327 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Caroline Baumal sold 2,816 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total transaction of $95,208.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 55,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,878,483.60. The trade was a 4.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 3,323 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.43, for a total transaction of $101,118.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 144,994 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,412,167.42. This trade represents a 2.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 65,934 shares of company stock worth $1,950,261 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wedbush cut their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Apellis Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.53.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APLS traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $25.14. 1,360,095 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,924,505. The company has a quick ratio of 3.73, a current ratio of 4.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of -12.38 and a beta of 0.92. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.77 and a 12 month high of $63.07. The company's 50 day moving average price is $29.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.01.

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

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).