Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Trading Down 5.8% on Analyst Downgrade

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)’s stock price traded down 5.8% on Wednesday after Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on the stock from $39.00 to $35.00. Cantor Fitzgerald currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Apellis Pharmaceuticals traded as low as $20.03 and last traded at $20.1010. 1,604,338 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 49% from the average session volume of 3,154,198 shares. The stock had previously closed at $21.33.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on APLS. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, November 6th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $32.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $33.65.

Insider Activity at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CFO Timothy Eugene Sullivan sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.03, for a total value of $280,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 110,936 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,109,536.08. This represents a 8.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 4.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,000 shares of company stock worth $629,150. 6.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reiterated a “buy” stance on Apellis, which supports investor confidence in the commercial outlook. Wells Fargo Remains a Buy on Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators point to rising demand for SYFOVRE and a planned prefilled-syringe rollout as potential revenue drivers and margin enhancers if execution goes smoothly. Rising SYFOVRE Demand and Prefilled Syringe Plan Could Be A Game Changer For Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS)
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights a stronger 2025 revenue update and the company’s nephrology expansion, which support a re‑rating argument versus peers if growth persists. A Look At Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS) Valuation After Strong 2025 Revenue Update And Nephrology Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald trimmed its price target from $39 to $35 but kept an “overweight” rating — a signal that upside remains in analysts’ view despite a lower PT. Cantor Fitzgerald price target note
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham cut its target modestly from $29 to $28 while maintaining a “buy” rating, which keeps institutional support but reduces near-term valuation expectations. Needham price target note
• Neutral Sentiment: Apellis presented at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference; slides and the transcript are available for details on strategy and commercial progress (useful for longer-term conviction). J.P. Morgan presentation (slideshow) J.P. Morgan presentation (transcript)
• Neutral Sentiment: Some market commentary notes improved relative strength versus peers, but Apellis remains below broader benchmarks — suggests selective investor interest. Relative strength coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest figures appear to show zero shares (likely a data anomaly); treat short-interest signals cautiously until verified.
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put-option activity: investors bought 6,398 put contracts (≈521% above average). Heavy put buying can amplify downside pressure and signals some market participants are hedging or betting on near-term declines.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $22.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 3.54 and a quick ratio of 3.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of 65.08 and a beta of 0.31.

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

About Apellis Pharmaceuticals

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.