Trexquant Investment LP Takes $6.48 Million Position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 203,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,478,000. Trexquant Investment LP owned 0.16% of Apellis Pharmaceuticals as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 311.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 31,381 shares of the company’s stock valued at $905,000 after purchasing an additional 23,749 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Apellis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 18.0% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 255,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,381,000 after acquiring an additional 39,019 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,810,526 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,229,000 after acquiring an additional 22,609 shares during the period. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 25,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 11.3 %

Shares of APLS stock opened at $19.97 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $26.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.05. The company has a current ratio of 4.36, a quick ratio of 3.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.91. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.76 and a 1 year high of $57.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.84 and a beta of 0.85.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:APLS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.29) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $212.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $197.92 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.73) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 45.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -1.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on APLS shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $26.00 to $25.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wedbush decreased their price objective on shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals from $30.00 to $29.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Caroline Baumal sold 2,816 shares of Apellis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.81, for a total transaction of $95,208.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 55,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,878,483.60. This trade represents a 4.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel David O. Watson sold 5,569 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 138,730 shares in the company, valued at $3,482,123. This represents a 3.86 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 66,054 shares of company stock worth $1,952,719. Insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

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).