Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reissued their buy rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $80.00 price target on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $67.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $57.00 to $48.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd. UBS Group dropped their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $89.00 to $85.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. HC Wainwright reiterated a buy rating and set a $92.00 price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, May 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $73.50.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of APLS opened at $36.56 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $39.20 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.75. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $19.83 and a 12 month high of $73.80. The company has a current ratio of 5.08, a quick ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported ($0.28) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.33) by $0.05. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 138.32% and a negative net margin of 52.99%. The company had revenue of $199.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.89 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($1.02) earnings per share. Apellis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 110.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director A. Sinclair Dunlop sold 37,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.24, for a total value of $1,451,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 136,998 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,375,801.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Pascal Deschatelets sold 78,907 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.35, for a total transaction of $3,341,711.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 1,115,983 shares in the company, valued at $47,261,880.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director A. Sinclair Dunlop sold 37,000 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, June 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.24, for a total transaction of $1,451,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 136,998 shares in the company, valued at $5,375,801.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Apellis Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 904,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,138,000 after buying an additional 25,052 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $56,640,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at $12,461,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter valued at $3,218,000. Finally, Bellevue Group AG grew its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 821,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,193,000 after buying an additional 27,959 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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).