Apellis (NASDAQ: APLS) CEO gifts 129,738 shares via family trusts

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Apellis Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Officer Cedric Francois reported gift transfers of common stock. On March 11, 2026, entities associated with him made bona fide gifts totaling 129,738 shares, including a transfer of 64,869 shares to The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2.

After these gifts, he directly holds 425,968 shares. The filing also lists indirect holdings through several trusts, including 372,815 shares in The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2, 472,065 shares in The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023, 300,000 shares in The Francois Grossi Trust, and 234,411 shares in The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust.

Insights

Insider transactions analyst

CEO’s Form 4 shows non-market gifts of shares while retaining large holdings.

The Form 4 for Apellis Pharmaceuticals details two bona fide gift transactions on March 11, 2026, totaling 129,738 common shares. These are code G gifts at a reported price of $0.00 per share, meaning no open-market buying or selling occurred.

One gift transfers 64,869 shares to The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2, with Patrick Collins as trustee. Footnotes state that Cedric Francois disclaims beneficial ownership of shares held by the various trusts except to the extent of his pecuniary interest.

Following the transactions, he still directly holds 425,968 shares, and the filing lists substantial indirect positions in multiple trusts. Because these are non-market gifts rather than discretionary open-market sales or purchases, they generally carry limited signaling value for short-term investor sentiment.

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

OMB APPROVAL

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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)
03/11/2026

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	03/11/2026		G		64,869	D	$0	425,968	D
Common Stock	03/11/2026		G		64,869	A	$0	372,815	I(1)	Indirect Owner (The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2)
Common Stock								472,065	I(2)	Indirect Owner (The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023)
Common Stock								300,000	I(3)	Indirect Owner (The Francois Grossi Trust)
Common Stock								234,411	I(4)	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. On March 11, 2026, the reporting person transferred 64,869 shares to The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2. Patrick Collins 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.

2. The securities are held by The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023. Patrick Collins 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.

3. 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.

4. 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	03/13/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
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FAQ

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

Cedric Francois reported bona fide gift transactions of Apellis common stock on March 11, 2026. The filing shows two gift entries totaling 129,738 shares, reflecting transfers to trust structures associated with him rather than open-market stock sales or purchases.

How many Apellis (APLS) shares were gifted in total on March 11, 2026?

The Form 4 reports gifts totaling 129,738 Apellis common shares. This consists of two transactions of 64,869 shares each, coded as bona fide gifts, including a documented transfer of 64,869 shares to The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2.

Did the Apellis (APLS) CEO sell any shares on the open market in this filing?

No open-market sales are reported in this Form 4. The only transactions are code G bona fide gifts at a reported price of $0.00 per share, indicating non-market transfers to trust entities rather than discretionary selling into the public market.

What are Cedric Francois’s direct Apellis (APLS) share holdings after these gifts?

After the March 11, 2026 gifts, Cedric Francois directly holds 425,968 Apellis common shares. This direct position is reported separately from his indirect interests held through various trusts, which are detailed in the same Form 4 filing entry tables.

Which trusts now hold Apellis (APLS) shares related to Cedric Francois?

The filing lists several trusts: The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 - 2 with 372,815 shares, The Cedric Francois Irrevocable Trust of 2023 with 472,065 shares, The Francois Grossi Trust with 300,000 shares, and The Francois-DuBois Educational Trust with 234,411 shares.

How does the Form 4 describe Cedric Francois’s beneficial ownership of trust-held Apellis (APLS) shares?

Footnotes state that the securities are held by named trusts with independent trustees. Cedric Francois disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by each trust except to the extent of his pecuniary interest, clarifying that he does not fully control those trust positions.