Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Key Points

• Akebia reported Q1 EPS of ($0.03), missing consensus by $0.02, while revenue of $53.5 million beat estimates but higher costs drove a $9.1 million net loss; management says cash of $162.6 million provides at least two years of runway.
• Commercially and clinically the company showed momentum: Vafseo generated Q1 net product revenue of $15.8 million with prescribers up ~28% and patients on therapy rising ~60% QoQ to nearly 7,500, and Akebia expects top‑line VOCAL data by year‑end 2026 and VOICE in early 2027 while multiple mid‑stage programs continue to advance.

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $53.54 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $51.67 million. Akebia Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 16.70% and a negative net margin of 2.26%.

Here are the key takeaways from Akebia Therapeutics' conference call:

• Vafseo delivered strong commercial traction with Q1 net product revenue of $15.8 million (the highest quarter to date), prescribers up ~28% and patients on therapy rising ~60% QoQ to nearly 7,500, driven by dialysis organizations adopting observed (three‑times‑weekly) dosing and ~86% first‑refill adherence.
• Clinical evidence supporting Vafseo expanded — a post‑hoc INNO2VATE analysis published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology showed lower risk of death or hospitalization versus ESA and an economic analysis showed fewer hospitalizations and ~15% lower annual hospitalization costs; top‑line VOCAL data are expected by year‑end 2026 and VOICE in early 2027.
• R&D momentum continued — praliciguat is enrolling a Phase II FSGS study (24‑week UPCR primary endpoint), AKB‑097 (Ebri) will start a Phase II open‑label basket trial in H2 2026 across IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis and C3 glomerulopathy with initial data expected in 2027, and AKB‑9090 Phase I has been initiated with top‑line results expected in early 2027.
• Financial headwinds — total revenues declined to $53.5 million (driven by lower Auryxia sales) and higher COGS, R&D and SG&A turned the prior‑year profit into a $9.1 million net loss in Q1, although management reports cash of $162.6 million and expects sufficient runway for at least two years.

Akebia Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of AKBA stock traded down $0.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $1.18. The company had a trading volume of 11,715,508 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,427,202. Akebia Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $1.13 and a 52-week high of $4.08. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $1.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $1.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The company has a market capitalization of $316.54 million, a P/E ratio of -58.97 and a beta of 0.35.

Insider Activity at Akebia Therapeutics

In related news, CEO John P. Butler bought 69,270 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $1.25 per share, with a total value of $86,587.50. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 3,367,064 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,208,830. This represents a 2.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akebia Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of AKBA. UBS Group AG increased its position in Akebia Therapeutics by 470.2% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,646,233 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $9,954,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006,771 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Akebia Therapeutics by 166.2% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,706,437 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $7,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,624 shares during the last quarter. MPM Bioimpact LLC bought a new stake in Akebia Therapeutics in the second quarter worth $10,516,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Akebia Therapeutics by 528.1% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,400,757 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,554,000 after acquiring an additional 2,018,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Akebia Therapeutics by 15.6% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,687,561 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $22,037,000 after acquiring an additional 1,842,792 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 33.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AKBA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $4.00 price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research raised shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $4.67.

Akebia Therapeutics Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.