D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. Sells 89,573 Shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. decreased its stake in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 71.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,809 shares of the company's stock after selling 89,573 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of Akero Therapeutics worth $996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Deep Track Capital LP boosted its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 116.0% in the 4th quarter. Deep Track Capital LP now owns 1,490,000 shares of the company's stock worth $41,452,000 after acquiring an additional 800,216 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $840,000. Cutter Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $6,399,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $18,059,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $422,000.

Insider Activity at Akero Therapeutics

In other Akero Therapeutics news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.77, for a total value of $1,253,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 656,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,403,709.74. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Patrick Lamy sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 33,492 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,674,600. The trade was a 10.67% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 223,208 shares of company stock valued at $9,313,294. Company insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

Akero Therapeutics Trading Up 6.0%

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $2.71 during trading on Thursday, hitting $48.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,290,937 shares, compared to its average volume of 970,991. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $17.86 and a 1 year high of $58.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.60. 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 company has a market capitalization of $3.83 billion, a PE ratio of -12.81 and a beta of -0.12.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on AKRO shares. 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. UBS Group raised their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Akero Therapeutics has an average rating of "Buy" and an average 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.