5AM Venture Management LLC Invests $4.59 Million in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

5AM Venture Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 165,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,590,000. Akero Therapeutics makes up about 1.1% of 5AM Venture Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. 5AM Venture Management LLC owned approximately 0.24% of Akero Therapeutics at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 764.3% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $83,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,886 shares of the company's stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 32,588.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,172 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 8,147 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Akero Therapeutics

In other Akero Therapeutics news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.73, for a total transaction of $1,581,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 686,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $36,176,049.26. The trade was a 4.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO William Richard White sold 676 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $30,338.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 61,959 shares in the company, valued at $2,780,719.92. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 198,708 shares of company stock valued at $8,673,699 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $42.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 355,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 878,708. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.41 and a beta of -0.12. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $17.86 and a one year high of $58.40. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $41.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.24. 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 (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.98) by ($0.01). On average, analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Akero Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $63.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Akero Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $76.29.

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.