Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $82.50.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on AKRO shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group upped their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Akero Therapeutics

In other news, CFO William Richard White sold 676 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $30,338.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 61,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,780,719.92. The trade was a 1.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.23, for a total transaction of $1,056,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 624,324 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,994,934.52. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 223,208 shares of company stock valued at $9,313,294 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. acquired a new position in Akero Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought 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 buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 19.0% during the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,570 shares of the company's stock worth $104,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the last quarter.

Akero Therapeutics Trading Up 6.0%

Shares of NASDAQ AKRO traded up $2.71 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $48.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,290,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 970,991. The company has a quick ratio of 17.25, a current ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Akero Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $17.86 and a 1-year high of $58.40. The company has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.81 and a beta of -0.12. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.60.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.01) by $1.91. On average, analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

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.