Voya Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS - Free Report) by 40.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 123,151 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 35,185 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Apellis Pharmaceuticals worth $3,930,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 266,361.5% during the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 1,385,600 shares of the company's stock worth $44,214,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385,080 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $41,014,000. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Avoro Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,222,222 shares of the company's stock valued at $390,011,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111,111 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,662,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 51.6% during the 4th quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 2,760,404 shares of the company's stock worth $88,084,000 after buying an additional 939,289 shares during the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ APLS traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $20.34. 2,221,961 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,174,697. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.56 billion, a PE ratio of -10.02 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 $16.98 and a 1-year high of $49.06. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $21.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.36.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,569 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was 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 $3,482,123. The trade was a 3.86 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 6,115 shares of company stock worth $154,684 in the last 90 days. 6.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

APLS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $36.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target 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. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $44.00 price objective for the company. 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 report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apellis Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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).