Sifting through countless of stocks in the Biotechnology industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapeutic compounds to treat diseases with high unmet needs. It offers EMPAVELI for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria; and SYFOVRE for treating geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy (GA). The company also develops EMPAVELI to treat C3 glomerulopathy and immune complex membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and delayed graft function; and APL-3007, a small interfering RNA, or siRNA for the treatment of GA. In addition, it conducts preclinical studies for APL-9099, a treatment targeting the neonatal Fc receptor, or FcRn, which has the potential to be a first-in-class gene editing treatment for future target indications with one-time dosing; and developing other programs with its proprietary in-house capabilities and under its Beam collaboration. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) for development and commercialization of pegcetacoplan; and a collaboration with Beam Therapeutics, Inc. focused on the use of Beam’s base editing technology to discover new treatments for complement-driven diseases. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of medicines for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and rare diseases in the United States. The company offers NUPLAZID (pimavanserin) for the treatment of hallucinations and delusions associated with Parkinson’s disease psychosis; and DAYBUE, a novel synthetic analog of the amino-terminal tripeptide of insulin-like growth factor 1 for treatment of Rett Syndrome. It also develops Pimavanserin which completed Phase III clinical trial to treat the negative symptoms of schizophrenia; ACP-101, which completed phase III clinical trial for the treatment of hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome; ACP-204 that completed phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease psychosis and Lewy Body Dementia with psychosis; ACP-711, which is in phase I clinical trial for the treatment of essential tremor; ACP-211 that is in phase I clinical trial for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression; ACP-2591 that is in Phase I development for Rett syndrome and Fragile X syndrome; and ACP-271, a GPR88 agonist used in evaluation of neurology and is in the IND-enabling stage. The company has a license agreement with Neuren Pharmaceuticals Limited to trofinetide for Rett syndrome and other indications; and a license and collaboration agreement with Stoke Therapeutics, Inc. to discover, develop and commercialize novel RNA-based medicines for the potential treatment of severe and rare genetic neurodevelopmental diseases of the CNS. The company was formerly known as Receptor Technologies, Inc. and changed its name ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. in 1997. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. was incorporated in 1993 and is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Latest Biotechnology and Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock News

As of February 24, 2026, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. had a $2.8 billion market capitalization, compared to the Biotechnology median of $280.4 million. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s stock is down 14.7% in 2026, down 3.5% in the previous five trading days and down 19.59% in the past year.

Currently, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 125.0. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 2.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was -5.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-1.147 per share for the current fiscal year. Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of February 24, 2026, ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. had a $4.2 billion market cap, putting it in the 65th percentile of all stocks. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s stock is down 6.5% in 2026, up 7.6% in the previous five trading days and up 23.26% in the past year.

Currently, ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 16.0. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 24.9% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 11.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $0.813 per share for the current fiscal year. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	APLS	F
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.	ACAD	D

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a Value Score of 7, which is Ultra Expensive. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a Value Score of 27, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	APLS	F
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.	ACAD	D

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a Growth Score of 20, which is Very Weak. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a Growth Score of 32, which is Weak.

The Growth Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a high enough Growth Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the better investment when it comes to sustainable growth.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	APLS	C
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.	ACAD	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 44, which is Average. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a Momentum Score of 56, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Grades

In addition to Value, Momentum and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Estimate Revisions and Quality.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. Stock?

Overall, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 7, Growth Score of 20 and Momentum Score of 44.

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. stock has a Value Score of 27, Growth Score of 32 and Momentum Score of 56.

Comparing Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.