Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases New Holdings in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 11,436 shares of Akero Therapeutics, valued at approximately $463,000, as reported in their recent 13F filing.
• Analysts have mixed views on Akero Therapeutics, with target prices ranging from $64.00 to $78.00, but a consensus rating of "Buy" and a target of $82.50.
• A recent earnings report showed that Akero Therapeutics beat analyst expectations with $0.90 EPS for the quarter, significantly surpassing the consensus estimate of ($1.01).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 11,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $463,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 55.1% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 112,442 shares of the company's stock worth $3,128,000 after acquiring an additional 39,932 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. purchased a new position in Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $303,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $306,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 0.8% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 8.2% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 528,207 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,695,000 after acquiring an additional 40,161 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Akero Therapeutics

In related news, insider Timothy Rolph sold 12,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.30, for a total transaction of $616,250.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 167,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,239,213.20. This represents a 6.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Catriona Yale sold 10,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.95, for a total value of $529,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 91,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,844,289.60. This trade represents a 9.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 227,906 shares of company stock worth $11,596,245 in the last quarter. Insiders own 7.07% of the company's stock.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Down 4.0%

AKRO traded down $2.09 on Thursday, reaching $50.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,131,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,432,212. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $52.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.53. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $21.34 and a fifty-two week high of $58.40. The company has a quick ratio of 16.80, a current ratio of 16.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a market capitalization of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.06 and a beta of -0.28.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.01) by $1.91. As a group, analysts forecast that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

AKRO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Cowen assumed coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Monday. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price objective on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $81.57.

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.