Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) Shares Sold by Ensign Peak Advisors Inc

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc reduced its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 79,097 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,900 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals were worth $2,524,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,778,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,748,000 after acquiring an additional 30,867 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $6,117,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $403,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 101.2% in the fourth quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 54,665 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after buying an additional 27,495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1,388.4% in the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 744,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,747,000 after buying an additional 694,194 shares during the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,569 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.10, for a total transaction of $139,781.90. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 138,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,482,123. The trade was a 3.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.0%

APLS opened at $16.36 on Friday. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a one year low of $16.10 and a one year high of $43.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 3.73 and a current ratio of 4.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $20.48 and its 200-day moving average is $26.77. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of -8.06 and a beta of 0.73.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.74) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.36) by ($0.38). Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 103.11% and a negative net margin of 34.97%. The firm had revenue of $149.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $197.61 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.54) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald assumed coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $44.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James lowered Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong-buy” rating to an “outperform” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $75.00 to $52.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $29.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $28.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Apellis Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $40.42.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals 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).