Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Coverage Initiated at Cantor Fitzgerald

Investment analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $44.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 129.05% from the stock’s previous close. Cantor Fitzgerald also issued estimates for Apellis Pharmaceuticals’ FY2025 earnings at ($0.94) EPS.

APLS has been the subject of several other reports. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Wedbush reduced their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.28.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 5.5 %

Shares of APLS opened at $19.21 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $2.41 billion, a PE ratio of -9.46 and a beta of 0.85. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $22.29 and its 200-day moving average is $27.53. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $16.98 and a 12 month high of $49.06.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.29) EPS 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 analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.73) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 transaction of $139,781.90. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 138,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,482,123. This trade represents a 3.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,115 shares of company stock worth $154,684. 6.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. increased its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 3,185 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 2,707.1% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 189,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,046,000 after purchasing an additional 913 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 357.2% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is currently 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).