Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) Downgraded by Roth Mkm to "Hold"

Key Points

• Biogen agreed to acquire Apellis for about $5.6B — the deal offers $41.00 per share in cash plus contingent value rights tied to SYFOVRE sales and sent APLS shares sharply higher on the announcement.
• Despite the buyout, several sell‑side firms (including Roth Mkm) have downgraded Apellis to Hold, and MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of Hold with an average target price of $34.11.
• Apellis reported quarterly EPS of $0.47 (beating estimates) on roughly $199.9M revenue, while insiders sold shares in January and institutional investors now own about 96.3% of the stock, which could affect post‑deal trading and closing dynamics.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Roth Mkm from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America raised shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $28.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $20.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. HC Wainwright downgraded Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $48.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, William Blair lowered Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Apellis Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $34.11.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $40.41 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 310.87 and a beta of -0.19. Apellis Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $16.10 and a 1 year high of $40.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 3.14 and a quick ratio of 2.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $21.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $22.83.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.39) by $0.86. The company had revenue of $199.91 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.28 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 2.23% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.29) EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Cedric Francois sold 27,192 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $591,969.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 286,045 shares in the company, valued at $6,227,199.65. This represents a 8.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Mark Jeffrey Delong sold 3,371 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $73,386.67. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 78,353 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,705,744.81. The trade was a 4.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 115,537 shares of company stock worth $2,486,082 in the last three months. 6.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Apellis Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of APLS. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 207.4% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 29,559 shares of the company's stock valued at $667,000 after purchasing an additional 19,944 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 26.6% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 307,709 shares of the company's stock worth $6,730,000 after purchasing an additional 64,742 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 222,634 shares of the company's stock worth $4,869,000 after buying an additional 9,747 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 118.4% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,883 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 11,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1,146.2% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 23,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $522,000 after buying an additional 22,052 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.29% of the company's stock.

More Apellis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Biogen agreed to acquire Apellis for about $5.6B, bringing immediate valuation certainty (cash consideration of $41.00/share plus contingent value rights tied to SYFOVRE sales). Biogen to Acquire Apellis (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction: APLS shares jumped dramatically on the deal announcement as traders priced in the buyout premium and CVR upside. APLS stock soars 140% (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several banks raised price targets to roughly $41 (Mizuho, Barclays, JPMorgan), but many gave neutral/equal-weight ratings — implying limited upside above the deal price and signaling more conservative near-term expectations. Analyst target updates (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry commentary and comparisons highlight Apellis’ assets (SYFOVRE and immunology pipeline) as strategic for acquirers — useful context for longer‑term value but not an immediate catalyst beyond the acquisition. Comparing Apellis with competitors (Benzinga)
• Negative Sentiment: Major sell‑side shops have rapidly cut ratings (several downgrades from strong-buy/buy to hold/neutral), reflecting concerns about near-term growth post-sale, which could dampen secondary trading sentiment ahead of deal close. JP Morgan Downgrades Apellis (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Two law firms have launched shareholder investigations into the proposed sale (pricing and process), adding legal/closing‑risk uncertainty that could affect timing or terms. Shareholder investigation (PR Newswire)

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.

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