Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $46.83.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on AKRO. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, November 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of AKRO opened at $28.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 17.25 and a quick ratio of 17.25. Akero Therapeutics has a one year low of $15.32 and a one year high of $37.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $30.83 and a 200-day moving average of $27.63. The company has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of -7.62 and a beta of -0.23.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The company reported ($1.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.90) by ($0.15). On average, equities research analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Jonathan Young sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $281,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 226,286 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,376,739.48. This trade represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Catriona Yale sold 9,074 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.11, for a total transaction of $264,144.14. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 95,648 shares in the company, valued at $2,784,313.28. The trade was a 8.66 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 396,802 shares of company stock valued at $12,396,400 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AKRO. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 21.6% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 16,916 shares of the company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 20,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $574,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares in the last quarter. LMR Partners LLP boosted its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. LMR Partners LLP now owns 20,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $591,000 after purchasing an additional 2,997 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $100,000.

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.