Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock Price

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $29.00 to $26.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 24.11% from the stock’s current price.

APLS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $52.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. HC Wainwright cut their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $57.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.53.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ APLS opened at $20.95 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $22.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.50. The stock has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 67.58 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 3.10 and a current ratio of 3.54. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $16.10 and a fifty-two week high of $31.17.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.67 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $458.58 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $364.58 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 18.94% and a net margin of 4.43%.Apellis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 133.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.46) EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, insider Nur Nicholson sold 2,618 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.19, for a total value of $58,093.42. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 81,046 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,798,410.74. This represents a 3.13% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Cedric Francois sold 10,186 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.19, for a total transaction of $226,027.34. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 321,419 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,132,287.61. This trade represents a 3.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 57,973 shares of company stock worth $1,237,824. Company insiders own 6.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Simplify Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,419,000. Corton Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth approximately $364,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 43.5% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 100,666 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,838,000 after purchasing an additional 30,507 shares in the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,135,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group grew its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 91.9% during the second quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 485,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,406,000 after buying an additional 232,506 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Apellis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: BofA upgraded APLS from Neutral to Buy, citing a stronger-than-expected launch trajectory for its newly approved kidney-disease therapy and assigning a $28 price target, which signals meaningful upside from current levels. Apellis upgraded at BofA on launch trajectory for kidney disease therapy
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst piece highlights early uptake of Empaveli (Apellis’s newly approved rare-kidney-disease treatment) and argues current Apellis valuation understates Empaveli’s revenue potential — a narrative that supports a re-rating if commercial momentum continues. Apellis Valuation Ignores Empaveli Potential, Says Analyst
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target from $29 to $26 but maintained an Overweight rating — a mixed signal that lowers upside expectations but keeps institutional support. Wells Fargo lowers price target on Apellis
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC Capital reiterated a Hold on APLS, which is a neutral institutional stance and may limit upside from investors seeking stronger analyst conviction. RBC Capital Sticks to Its Hold Rating for Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple senior insiders (including CEO Cedric Francois, CFO Timothy Sullivan, General Counsel David Watson and other officers) sold shares on Jan. 20 — a cluster of Form 4 filings that can weigh on sentiment even if transactions are routine diversification. See CEO filing here for details. CEO Cedric Francois Form 4

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.