UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 71,451 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,035 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Akero Therapeutics worth $1,988,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in AKRO. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company's stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 8.5% during the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,886 shares of the company's stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 41,442 shares of the company's stock worth $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 21,000 shares of the company's stock worth $584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 95,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on AKRO shares. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of 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 reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Sunday, March 2nd. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target 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. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 1,738 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $78,001.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 654,324 shares in the company, valued at $29,366,061.12. The trade was a 0.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO William Richard White sold 676 shares of Akero Therapeutics 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 completion of the sale, 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 three months, insiders have sold 133,708 shares of company stock valued at $5,413,719. 7.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $0.43 during trading on Monday, hitting $54.71. 2,271,173 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 994,920. The stock has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.59 and a beta of -0.16. The company has a quick ratio of 17.25, a current ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $21.02 and a 52 week high of $58.40. The firm's fifty day moving average is $42.31 and its 200-day moving average is $39.64.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last released its 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. Research analysts expect that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Akero Therapeutics 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.