Needham & Company LLC Has Lowered Expectations for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock Price

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) had its price target reduced by Needham & Company LLC from $29.00 to $28.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC’s price target indicates a potential upside of 37.73% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on APLS. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Mizuho lowered their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $24.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright reduced their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $57.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $33.65.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 4.7%

APLS opened at $20.33 on Tuesday. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $16.10 and a 1 year high of $31.17. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $22.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 3.10 and a current ratio of 3.54. The company has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of 65.58 and a beta of 0.31.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.64. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 4.43% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The company had revenue of $458.58 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $364.58 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.46) earnings per share. Apellis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 133.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.49, for a total value of $122,450.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 103,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,540,347.70. This represents a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Timothy Eugene Sullivan sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.03, for a total transaction of $280,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 110,936 shares in the company, valued at $3,109,536.08. This trade represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $503,050. 6.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 80.0% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 855 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 206.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,037 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,373 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 857 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 141.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,570 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Apellis Pharmaceuticals News

Here are the key news stories impacting Apellis Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rising SYFOVRE demand and a plan to introduce prefilled syringes — management and analysts see this as a potential revenue and margin booster if adoption continues. Rising SYFOVRE Demand and Prefilled Syringe Plan Could Be A Game Changer For Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS)
• Positive Sentiment: Strong 2025 revenue update and expansion into nephrology improve the company’s growth narrative and valuation discussion among investors. A Look At Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS) Valuation After Strong 2025 Revenue Update And Nephrology Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Apellis presented at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference — investor-facing presentation can help sustain visibility and support uptake narratives. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (APLS) Presents at 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference – Slideshow
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a Buy on APLS, supporting investor confidence, but the note did not materially raise targets. Wells Fargo Remains a Buy on Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage shows analysts remain split on healthcare names including APLS — divergent views can lead to choppy trading until clearer near-term fundamentals emerge. Analysts Conflicted on These Healthcare Names: Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS), Sarepta Therapeutics (SRPT) and Mereo Biopharma Group Plc (MREO)
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put buying: investors purchased ~6,398 put options (roughly +521% vs. average), signaling elevated short-term hedging or bearish bets and likely contributing to downward pressure on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Two analysts trimmed price targets — Cantor Fitzgerald lowered its target from $39 to $35 (still overweight) and Needham cut from $29 to $28 (still Buy). Target trims, even with buy ratings retained, can create headline-driven selling. Benzinga coverage of analyst target changes
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/relative-strength commentary notes improved performance versus prior periods but still lagging some benchmarks — technicals may limit rallies until confirming fundamental signals arrive. Apellis Pharmaceuticals shows improved relative strength; still shy of benchmark

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc, traded as NASDAQ:APLS, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies targeting the complement cascade for the treatment of rare and debilitating diseases. The company’s research and development efforts center on modulating complement proteins to address a range of ophthalmologic, hematologic and renal conditions. Apellis leverages its proprietary compstatin technology platform to design targeted inhibitors intended to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.

The company’s lead marketed product, Syfovre (pegcetacoplan), is an intravitreal complement C3 inhibitor approved for geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, with ongoing investigations in other retinal disorders.