Apellis Pharmaceuticals (APLS) CEO awarded 195,952 RSUs and details trust-held shares

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Apellis Pharmaceuticals CEO Cedric Francois reported a new equity grant of 195,952 shares of common stock on January 28, 2026, awarded as restricted stock units at $0 per share. Following this grant, he directly holds 481,997 Apellis common shares.

The RSU award vests 25% each year over four years from the grant date, subject to continued service. Additional Apellis shares are held by several trusts, including The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2, The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023, The Francois Grossi Trust, and The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust, where Francois disclaims beneficial ownership except for any pecuniary interest.

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Francois Cedric

(Last) (First) (Middle)

C/O APELLIS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

100 FIFTH AVENUE, 3RD FLOOR

(Street)

WALTHAM MA 02451

(City) (State) (Zip)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. [ APLS ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	Chief Executive Officer

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
01/28/2026

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	01/28/2026		A		195,952(1)	A	$0	481,997	D
Common Stock								307,946	I(2)	Indirect Owner (The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2)
Common Stock								472,065	I(3)	Indirect Owner (The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023)
Common Stock								300,000	I(4)	Indirect Owner (The Francois Grossi Trust)
Common Stock								234,411	I(5)	Indirect Owner (The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust)

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

1. This represents a Restricted Stock Unit award granted on January 28, 2026 that vest 25% annually over four years from grant date subject to continued service.

2. The securities are held by The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2. William V. A. Zorn is the trustee of The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership over the shares held by The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2 except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

3. The securities are held by The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023. William V. A. Zorn is the trustee of The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership over the shares held by The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

4. The securities are held by The Francois Grossi Trust, for which Juliana Grossi, the spouse of the reporting person, serves as trustee. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership over the shares held by the Francois Grossi Trust except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

5. The securities are held by The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust, for which the Fiduciary Trust Company of New England serves as trustee. The reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership over the shares held by The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

	/s/ David Watson, attorney-in-fact for Cedric Francois	01/29/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
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FAQ

What insider transaction did Apellis (APLS) CEO Cedric Francois report on this Form 4?

Cedric Francois reported a grant of 195,952 shares of Apellis common stock on January 28, 2026. The shares were issued as a restricted stock unit award at $0 per share, increasing his directly held Apellis stake to 481,997 common shares after the transaction.

How many Apellis (APLS) shares were included in Cedric Francois’s January 28, 2026 equity grant?

The equity grant to Cedric Francois included 195,952 shares of Apellis common stock. These were structured as restricted stock units with a reported transaction price of $0 per share, reflecting an incentive award rather than an open-market purchase or sale of existing Apellis shares.

How do the restricted stock units granted to Apellis (APLS) CEO Cedric Francois vest?

The restricted stock unit award granted on January 28, 2026 vests 25% annually over four years. Vesting is conditioned on continued service, meaning Francois must remain in service with Apellis each year for a portion of the 195,952 RSUs to become fully earned.

What is Cedric Francois’s direct Apellis (APLS) common stock ownership after this Form 4 transaction?

After the reported grant, Cedric Francois directly holds 481,997 shares of Apellis common stock. This figure represents his direct ownership only and does not add in any Apellis shares that are held through various related trusts disclosed as indirect holdings in the filing.

Which trusts hold Apellis (APLS) shares associated with Cedric Francois, and how are they treated?

Apellis shares are held by The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2, The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023, The Francois Grossi Trust, and The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust. The filing states Francois disclaims beneficial ownership of these shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest.

Does Cedric Francois claim full beneficial ownership of Apellis (APLS) shares held in related trusts?

No. For each trust holding Apellis shares, the filing states that Cedric Francois disclaims beneficial ownership of those shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest. Trustees, including William V. A. Zorn, Juliana Grossi, and Fiduciary Trust Company of New England, hold legal authority over those trust assets.