Pallas Capital Advisors LLC Sells 19,192 Shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $APLS

Pallas Capital Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) by 58.0% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 13,885 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,192 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals were worth $349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 35.9% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 567,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,244,000 after purchasing an additional 149,654 shares in the last quarter. Simplify Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,419,000. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. grew its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 48.0% in the 3rd quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 155,399 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,517,000 after buying an additional 50,375 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,135,000. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 91.9% during the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 485,615 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,406,000 after acquiring an additional 232,506 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of APLS stock opened at $40.23 on Wednesday. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $16.10 and a 52-week high of $40.45. The company has a quick ratio of 2.70, a current ratio of 3.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a PE ratio of 309.49 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.58.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by $0.86. The firm had revenue of $199.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $199.28 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 2.23%.Apellis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.29) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Apellis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, insider Caroline Baumal sold 2,797 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $60,890.69. Following the sale, the insider owned 86,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,883,692.79. This trade represents a 3.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Pascal Deschatelets sold 5,928 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.77, for a total transaction of $129,052.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,151,382 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,065,586.14. The trade was a 0.51% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 115,537 shares of company stock worth $2,486,082. 6.80% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More Apellis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Biogen agreed to buy Apellis for $41.00 per share in cash and a CVR that could add up to $4 more if SYFOVRE sales targets are reached — the acquisition explains the sharp upward move as investors price toward the deal. Biogen to acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals for $5.6B, adding C3 therapies to portfolio
• Positive Sentiment: Major outlets widely reported the transaction (coverage increases deal visibility and supports market acceptance of the offer price). Biogen to Acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals for $5.6 Billion (WSJ)
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham & Company reaffirmed a “hold” rating on Apellis — a routine analyst reaction that does not change the deal fundamentals. Needham reaffirms hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald recently lowered its price target to $31 (from $35) before the deal; the firm still had an Overweight rating — now largely superseded by the acquisition price but illustrative of pre-deal analyst views. Cantor Fitzgerald cuts PT to $31
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder law firms (Ademi LLP and Halper Sadeh LLC) launched investigations into whether Apellis shareholders are receiving a fair price — potential legal challenges or proxy disputes could delay or complicate the closing and create downside risk. Ademi investigation Halper Sadeh investigation

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup reduced their target price on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Apellis Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $32.42.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.