Marshall Wace LLP Raises Holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Free Report) by 292.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 85,495 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 63,705 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.07% of Apellis Pharmaceuticals worth $2,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of APLS. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 14,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 749 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 2,707.1% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 786 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 758 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 357.2% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,175 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 918 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 70.0% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 3,223 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 1,327 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 9.4% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 21,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $691,000 after buying an additional 1,864 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Apellis Pharmaceuticals news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,569 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.10, for a total value of $139,781.90. Following the transaction, the general counsel now directly owns 138,730 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,482,123. The trade was a 3.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,115 shares of company stock valued at $154,684. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company's stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:APLS traded up $0.60 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $20.68. 760,352 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,160,176. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $16.98 and a 1-year high of $49.06. The company has a quick ratio of 3.73, a current ratio of 4.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.19 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a 50-day moving average of $21.97 and a 200 day moving average of $27.42.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.37) by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $212.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $197.92 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 103.11% and a negative net margin of 34.97%. The business's revenue was up 45.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.73) earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on APLS. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $44.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $24.00 to $21.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apellis Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.28.

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).