Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Upgraded at Leerink Partnrs

Leerink Partnrs upgraded shares of Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA - Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Akebia Therapeutics' Q1 2025 earnings at ($0.01) EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at ($0.02) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($0.03) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.01) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($0.07) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.10 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $0.30 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $0.55 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $7.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Akebia Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $6.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Akebia Therapeutics from $4.00 to $6.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 14th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $7.50 price objective on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Friday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Akebia Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $6.63.

Akebia Therapeutics Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of AKBA traded up $0.06 on Monday, hitting $2.45. 2,747,739 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,791,459. Akebia Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $0.80 and a 1 year high of $2.89. The stock's 50 day moving average is $2.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $578.77 million, a P/E ratio of -10.65 and a beta of 0.87.

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 13th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.05) by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $46.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.36 million. Research analysts forecast that Akebia Therapeutics will post -0.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Steven Keith Burke sold 50,506 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.10, for a total transaction of $106,062.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 816,234 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,714,091.40. The trade was a 5.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John P. Butler sold 144,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.10, for a total transaction of $302,925.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,604,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,469,093. This trade represents a 5.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 280,579 shares of company stock valued at $589,216. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in Akebia Therapeutics by 276.1% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 273,085 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 200,482 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 4.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,754,464 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock worth $6,277,000 after acquiring an additional 218,172 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $221,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Akebia Therapeutics by 10.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 98,546 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $130,000 after purchasing an additional 9,662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Akebia Therapeutics by 62.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 116,771 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 44,806 shares in the last quarter. 33.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Akebia Therapeutics Company Profile

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for patients with kidney diseases. The company's lead product investigational product candidate is Vafseo (vadadustat), an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase, which is in Phase III development for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis dependent patients.