Man Group plc Increases Stock Position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

Man Group plc boosted its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Free Report) by 194.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,292 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,550 shares during the period. Man Group plc's holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of APLS. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 2,707.1% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 786 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 357.2% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 918 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 70.0% during the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,223 shares of the company's stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 1,327 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1,819.2% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 3,992 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 3,784 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 89.0% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 6,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $195,000 after acquiring an additional 2,876 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.29% of the company's stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ APLS traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $17.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 336,800 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,265,540. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.60 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 $16.10 and a 1-year high of $43.76.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.74) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.36) by ($0.38). The company had revenue of $149.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $197.61 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 103.11% and a negative net margin of 34.97%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.54) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on APLS. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $44.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $49.00 to $41.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Raymond James downgraded shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $75.00 to $52.00 in a report on Friday, May 9th. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price objective on shares of 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 price objective on shares of 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 given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $39.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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).