abrdn plc Makes New Investment in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

abrdn plc purchased a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 169,051 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,119,000. abrdn plc owned 0.14% of Apellis Pharmaceuticals at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in APLS. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 69.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 649 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 564.2% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 797 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 677 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 29.3% in the third quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 3,028 shares of the company's stock worth $115,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 95.8% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,806 shares of the company's stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 1,862 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

APLS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $81.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 4th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $92.00 price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Apellis Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apellis Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.93.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Cedric Francois sold 2,843 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.14, for a total transaction of $182,350.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 317,624 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,372,403.36. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Cedric Francois sold 2,843 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.14, for a total value of $182,350.02. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 317,624 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,372,403.36. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Timothy Eugene Sullivan sold 1,431 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.77, for a total transaction of $96,978.87. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 93,338 shares in the company, valued at $6,325,516.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 381,011 shares of company stock valued at $23,463,657. Company insiders own 7.50% of the company's stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

APLS traded up $1.93 during trading on Friday, hitting $49.86. 980,419 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,476,006. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a one year low of $19.83 and a one year high of $94.75. The stock's fifty day moving average is $58.21 and its 200 day moving average is $57.30. The company has a quick ratio of 2.50, a current ratio of 3.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $6.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.31 and a beta of 0.88.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.73) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.73). The firm had revenue of $146.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $143.34 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 133.34% and a negative return on equity of 178.60%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 545.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($1.50) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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).