Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust Trims Stake in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust lessened its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 15.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 352,180 shares of the company's stock after selling 63,021 shares during the period. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust owned 0.50% of Akero Therapeutics worth $9,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position 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 worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $83,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company's stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 32,588.0% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 8,147 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on AKRO. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Sunday, March 2nd. UBS Group raised their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised shares of Akero Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.29.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded down $0.44 on Friday, hitting $44.87. 1,212,166 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 879,941. The company has a quick ratio of 17.25, a current ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm's 50-day moving average is $41.66 and its 200 day moving average is $37.12. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $58.40. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.97 and a beta of -0.12.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Equities analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Akero Therapeutics news, Director G. Walmsley Graham acquired 91,309 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $44.75 per share, with a total value of $4,086,077.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,091,309 shares in the company, valued at $48,836,077.75. This trade represents a 9.13 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO William Richard White sold 676 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 61,959 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,780,719.92. This trade represents a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 227,458 shares of company stock worth $10,271,361. Company insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

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.