Algert Global LLC Buys 199,874 Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

Algert Global LLC boosted its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Free Report) by 242.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 282,285 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 199,874 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC owned approximately 0.23% of Apellis Pharmaceuticals worth $9,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 18.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 255,897 shares of the company's stock worth $7,381,000 after acquiring an additional 39,019 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $390,000. Eastern Bank boosted its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 87.0% in the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 21,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $686,000 after buying an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 135.6% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,740 shares of the company's stock worth $949,000 after buying an additional 17,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $254,000. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on APLS. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $44.00 target price for the company. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $40.00 to $29.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $55.00 to $47.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.37.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $0.51 on Friday, hitting $17.30. The company had a trading volume of 2,957,758 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,214,077. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.52 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91, a quick ratio of 3.73 and a current ratio of 4.36. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $16.65 and a 1 year high of $43.99. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $21.15 and a 200-day moving average of $27.05.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.74) earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $197.61 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.54) earnings per share. Apellis Pharmaceuticals's revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,569 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.10, for a total value of $139,781.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 138,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,482,123. This represents a 3.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,115 shares of company stock valued at $154,684. Corporate insiders own 6.50% of the company's stock.

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).