Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Receives $82.50 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $82.50.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on AKRO shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Sunday, March 2nd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th.

Akero Therapeutics Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ AKRO traded down $0.37 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $54.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 244,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,010,632. Akero Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $21.02 and a twelve month high of $58.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.94 and a beta of -0.16. The company has a quick ratio of 16.80, a current ratio of 16.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $45.51 and a 200 day moving average of $40.94.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.01) by $1.91. Equities research analysts forecast that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Patrick Lamy sold 919 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total transaction of $49,626.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,573 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,758,942. This trade represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Jonathan Young sold 2,493 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.99, for a total transaction of $134,597.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 198,047 shares in the company, valued at $10,692,557.53. This trade represents a 1.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 206,787 shares of company stock worth $9,507,000 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 7.07% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 30.8% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,658 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 764.3% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank raised its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period.

Akero Therapeutics Company Profile

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.