University of Wisconsin Foundation Has $13.30 Million Holdings in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. $AKRO

Key Points

• The University of Wisconsin Foundation reduced its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 20% in the first quarter, now owning 328,504 shares valued at approximately $13.3 million.
• Insider sales occurred recently, with COO Jonathan Young selling 12,500 shares and a total of 226,406 shares sold by insiders over the last quarter.
• Analyst ratings remain positive, with several firms giving buy ratings and an average price target of $81.57 for Akero Therapeutics stock.

University of Wisconsin Foundation trimmed its stake in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 328,504 shares of the company's stock after selling 82,126 shares during the period. Akero Therapeutics accounts for about 10.3% of University of Wisconsin Foundation's investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. University of Wisconsin Foundation owned about 0.41% of Akero Therapeutics worth $13,298,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. RTW Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 15.9% in the 4th quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 6,859,823 shares of the company's stock worth $190,840,000 after purchasing an additional 940,388 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,817,091 shares of the company's stock worth $194,997,000 after purchasing an additional 495,119 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,230,644 shares of the company's stock worth $171,256,000 after purchasing an additional 526,233 shares during the period. Deep Track Capital LP lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 800,216 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 93.3% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 1,155,787 shares of the company's stock worth $46,786,000 after purchasing an additional 557,794 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $80.00 to $78.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Akero Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, August 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.57.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Down 1.9%

NASDAQ AKRO traded down $0.88 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $46.06. 138,382 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,375,692. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $21.34 and a 52-week high of $58.40. The firm has a market cap of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of -23.02 and a beta of -0.28. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $50.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02, a current ratio of 12.66 and a quick ratio of 12.66.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 8th. The company reported ($0.86) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.97) by $0.11. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.81) EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Akero Therapeutics

In other Akero Therapeutics news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.59, for a total transaction of $1,457,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 490,757 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,845,882.63. This trade represents a 5.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Catriona Yale sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.95, for a total transaction of $529,500.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 91,488 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,844,289.60. This represents a 9.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 226,406 shares of company stock worth $11,813,920 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.07% of the company's stock.

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.