Analysts Set Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) PT at $76.29

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $76.29.

A number of research firms have recently commented on AKRO. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Sunday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

AKRO opened at $44.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $33.84. The company has a current ratio of 17.25, a quick ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.77 and a beta of -0.19. Akero Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $17.86 and a 12-month high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.98) by ($0.01). Research analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Akero Therapeutics

In other news, Director G. Walmsley Graham bought 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.00 per share, with a total value of $9,600,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,000,000 shares in the company, valued at $48,000,000. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Patrick Lamy sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.13, for a total value of $29,130.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 34,258 shares in the company, valued at approximately $997,935.54. This represents a 2.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 252,209 shares of company stock valued at $12,190,753 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 71,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,988,000 after buying an additional 11,035 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 29.9% in the fourth quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 379,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,571,000 after buying an additional 87,499 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 195.7% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 41,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 27,200 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 43.3% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 127,320 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,542,000 after buying an additional 38,500 shares during the period.

Akero Therapeutics Company Profile

Akero Therapeutics, Inc, together with its subsidiary, engages in the development of treatments for patients with serious metabolic diseases in the United States. The company's lead product candidate is efruxifermin (EFX), which is in Phase 3 clinical trials that protects against cellular stress and regulates the metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins throughout the body for the treatment of biopsy-confirmed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) patients.