BNP Paribas Financial Markets Has $236,000 Holdings in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its stake in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 59.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,482 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,220 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Akero Therapeutics were worth $236,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in 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 worth $120,238,000 after purchasing an additional 513,613 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 442,014 shares in the last quarter. Foresite Capital Management VI LLC acquired a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $10,154,000. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $7,653,000. Finally, B Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $7,233,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup cut their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Sunday, March 2nd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.50.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Up 6.2%

Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $2.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $51.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,235,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 979,958. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $58.40. The company has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a PE ratio of -13.61 and a beta of -0.12. 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 firm's 50 day moving average is $41.21 and its 200 day moving average is $38.73.

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

Insider Transactions at Akero Therapeutics

In other news, CFO William Richard White sold 676 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director G. Walmsley Graham purchased 91,309 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $44.75 per share, with a total value of $4,086,077.75. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,091,309 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 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.

About Akero Therapeutics

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.