Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Shares Bought by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 93.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,155,787 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 557,794 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned about 1.45% of Akero Therapeutics worth $46,786,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. RTW Investments LP grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 6,859,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $190,840,000 after acquiring an additional 940,388 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,321,972 shares of the company's stock worth $120,238,000 after purchasing an additional 513,613 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,704,411 shares of the company's stock valued at $103,057,000 after purchasing an additional 27,830 shares during the period. Deep Track Capital LP grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 116.0% during the 4th quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 1,490,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,452,000 after purchasing an additional 800,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rock Springs Capital Management LP increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Rock Springs Capital Management LP now owns 946,499 shares of the company's stock worth $26,332,000 after buying an additional 13,100 shares during the period.

Insider Activity

In other Akero Therapeutics news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.23, for a total value of $1,056,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 624,324 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,994,934.52. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director G. Walmsley Graham acquired 91,309 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $44.75 per share, with a total value of $4,086,077.75. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,091,309 shares in the company, valued at $48,836,077.75. The trade was a 9.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 216,787 shares of company stock worth $9,954,600. 7.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on AKRO. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup reduced their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Akero Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.50.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of AKRO stock traded up $2.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $55.62. 2,224,332 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,007,626. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.83 and a beta of -0.16. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $21.02 and a one year high of $58.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $43.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 17.25 and a current ratio of 17.25.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.01) by $1.91. Sell-side analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS 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.