Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) Trading 5.5% Higher

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)’s stock price traded up 5.5% on Monday . The company traded as high as $20.77 and last traded at $20.74. 65,585 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 1,191,632 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.66.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. HC Wainwright upped their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. UBS Group increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a report on Monday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.71.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Up 12.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 29.27 and a quick ratio of 29.27. The firm has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.31 and a beta of -0.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $24.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $21.01.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.82) by ($0.17). As a group, equities analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Akero Therapeutics news, insider Catriona Yale sold 20,646 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.49, for a total value of $732,726.54. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 78,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,782,948.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Akero Therapeutics news, insider Catriona Yale sold 20,646 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.49, for a total value of $732,726.54. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 78,415 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,782,948.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 75,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.87, for a total value of $2,465,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 591,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,439,843.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 105,646 shares of company stock valued at $3,420,627 over the last 90 days. 9.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of AKRO. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Quest Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth about $75,000.

About Akero Therapeutics

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.