Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Lowered to Strong Sell Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research downgraded shares of Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 6th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Akebia Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Akebia Therapeutics from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Akebia Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $5.40.

Akebia Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ AKBA traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $1.31. The stock had a trading volume of 6,994,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,537,249. The firm has a market cap of $347.63 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -65.47 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. Akebia Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $1.14 and a fifty-two week high of $4.08. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $1.42 and a 200-day moving average of $2.11.

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $57.62 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $48.37 million. Akebia Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 16.81% and a negative net margin of 2.26%. Equities research analysts predict that Akebia Therapeutics will post -0.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Akebia Therapeutics news, CAO Richard C. Malabre sold 49,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.39, for a total transaction of $68,838.36. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 299,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $416,152.10. The trade was a 14.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Akebia Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new stake in Akebia Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Akebia Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $62,000. Unified Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Polymer Capital Management US LLC lifted its stake in Akebia Therapeutics by 49.5% in the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 18,232 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. 33.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Akebia Therapeutics News

Here are the key news stories impacting Akebia Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported strong commercial performance — Q4 2025 net product revenue of $54.3M and full‑year 2025 net product revenue of $227.3M (a 49% increase vs. 2024); company expects meaningful Vafseo (vadadustat) revenue growth in 2026 and is advancing clinical programs (praliciguat Phase 2 enrolling for FSGS; AKB‑097 Phase 2 rare kidney disease basket trial planned for 2H 2026). Akebia Therapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Commercial and Pipeline Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and highlights are available — the call provides management color on commercial execution, 2026 revenue drivers and pipeline timelines for investors wanting detail on guidance and cadence. Akebia (AKBA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage roundup published that summarizes current sell/hold/buy positioning and recent analyst comments — useful for gauging consensus and near‑term catalysts. 6AKBA : Where Akebia Therapeutics Stands With Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss: Akebia reported ($0.05) EPS vs. consensus ($0.03) — despite revenue beating estimates, the bottom‑line miss and negative net margin / ROE metrics raise near‑term profitability concerns. Akebia Therapeutics Q4 Earnings (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pessimism: BTIG published a bearish forecast for AKBA, which can weigh on sentiment and trading until clearer profitability/growth trajectories are demonstrated. BTIG Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Elevated short interest history — reports show ~31.2M shares short (~12.1% of float) with a ~7.1 days‑to‑cover (as of mid‑Feb), which can amplify downside pressure; note some recent short‑interest entries contain inconsistent/zero values, suggesting data reporting noise that investors should verify with official exchange filings.

About Akebia Therapeutics

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with kidney disease. The company’s lead product candidate, vadadustat, is an investigational oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor designed to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in both dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis patients. Akebia’s research and development efforts also extend to preclinical programs targeting nephrology and related metabolic disorders.

Since its founding in 2007, Akebia has pursued strategic collaborations to advance its clinical pipeline and expand its market reach.