Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Stock Holdings Lifted by Rock Springs Capital Management LP

Rock Springs Capital Management LP lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 946,499 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 13,100 shares during the quarter. Rock Springs Capital Management LP owned 1.36% of Akero Therapeutics worth $26,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AKRO. B Group Inc. acquired a new position in Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $7,233,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 770.8% in the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 16,188 shares of the company's stock worth $450,000 after buying an additional 14,329 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 41,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,156,000 after buying an additional 2,322 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 6,229.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 449,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,495,000 after buying an additional 442,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $7,653,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Patrick Lamy sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $285,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,910,048.76. This trade represents a 12.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director G. Walmsley Graham acquired 200,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.00 per share, with a total value of $9,600,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,000,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,000,000. This represents a 25.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 341,309 shares of company stock worth $15,863,578 and have sold 287,458 shares worth $13,689,886. Corporate insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AKRO shares. Citigroup upped their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company 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 upped their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $76.29.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $41.00. The company's stock had a trading volume of 959,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 865,646. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $42.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.52. The company has a market capitalization of $3.26 billion, a PE ratio of -10.93 and a beta of -0.18. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.86 and a 12 month high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.98) by ($0.01). Analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.