Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Stake Boosted by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 93.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,155,787 shares of the company's stock after acquiring 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 SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. RTW Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 940,388 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,321,972 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,238,000 after buying an additional 513,613 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 27,830 shares in the last quarter. Deep Track Capital LP grew its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 116.0% in the fourth quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 1,490,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,452,000 after buying an additional 800,216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rock Springs Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Rock Springs Capital Management LP now owns 946,499 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,332,000 after buying an additional 13,100 shares in the last quarter.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $0.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.41. 347,703 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 998,718. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 17.25 and a quick ratio of 17.25. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $43.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.13. The company has a market capitalization of $4.34 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.50 and a beta of -0.16. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $21.02 and a 12-month high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.01) by $1.91. Analysts forecast that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Catriona Yale sold 10,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.76, for a total transaction of $447,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,034 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,253,721.84. The trade was a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Patrick Lamy sold 919 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.00, for a total value of $49,626.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 32,573 shares in the company, valued at $1,758,942. This represents a 2.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 216,787 shares of company stock worth $9,954,600 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 7.07% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on AKRO. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. 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 report on Tuesday, May 13th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Akero Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.50.

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.