James George Chopas, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at Apellis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: APLS), conducted a sale of 726 shares of the company's common stock on January 20, 2026. The shares sold at $19.7929 each, culminating in proceeds totaling approximately $14,369. This transaction was a planned sale to cover tax withholding obligations resulting from the release of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) on January 16, 2026.
Following this disposition, Chopas retains direct ownership of 51,869 Apellis shares. Apellis Pharmaceuticals currently carries a market capitalization valued at approximately $2.65 billion and has demonstrated notable growth metrics, with revenue increasing by 42.11% over the past year. The company holds a "Great" score for financial health as assessed by InvestingPro.
The stock price at the time of the sale was trading at $20.95, slightly below InvestingPro's Fair Value estimate, suggesting a modest undervaluation. However, the share price has experienced a significant decrease of 31% over the last twelve months.
Looking ahead, Apellis is scheduled to release its next earnings report on March 4, 2026. Market consensus from analysts projects ongoing profitability for the firm.
Recent corporate disclosures revealed that Apellis posted preliminary product revenue for fiscal year 2025 totaling $689 million, which fell short of some analyst expectations. This revenue consisted predominantly of $587 million from Syfovre sales used in geographic atrophy treatment and $102 million from Empaveli, catering to approved indications.
In reaction to these figures, Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its Sell rating on Apellis stock, maintaining a price target of $19.00, attributing the rating in part to the revenue shortfall. Meanwhile, Needham expressed reservations regarding the growth prospects of Syfovre, revising its price target downward to $28.00 but maintaining a Buy rating. In contrast, BofA Securities upgraded Apellis from Neutral to Buy, emphasizing the commercial promise of Empaveli in rare kidney disease segments. This upgrade acknowledged robust early adoption figures, with 267 new patient start forms recorded for Empaveli in C3G/IC-MPGN indications. Cantor Fitzgerald held its Overweight rating but lowered the price target to $35.00, noting Empaveli's competitive performance against Fabhalta.
These diverse analyst perspectives reflect ongoing debate regarding Apellis Pharmaceuticals' future financial trajectory and market valuation.