HC Wainwright Issues Negative Estimate for AKBA Earnings

Key Points

• HC Wainwright cut its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for Akebia Therapeutics to ($0.02) from $0.01, and also lowered forecasts across several later periods through FY2029.
• Despite the reduced earnings outlook, HC Wainwright kept a Buy rating and a $6.00 price target on AKBA, suggesting it still sees upside from current levels.
• Akebia’s latest quarterly results showed a loss of $0.03 per share, wider than expected, even though revenue of $53.54 million came in above estimates.

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKBA - Free Report) - Investment analysts at HC Wainwright lowered their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Akebia Therapeutics in a research note issued on Friday, May 8th. HC Wainwright analyst M. Caufield now forecasts that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of ($0.02) for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.01. HC Wainwright has a "Buy" rating and a $6.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Akebia Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is $0.03 per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Akebia Therapeutics' Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.02) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.02) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($0.08) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($0.18) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($0.08) EPS and FY2029 earnings at $0.00 EPS.

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.01) by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $53.54 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.67 million. Akebia Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 8.83% and a negative return on equity of 62.72%.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (e+)" rating on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $4.00 price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $4.67.

Akebia Therapeutics Stock Down 0.9%

AKBA stock opened at $1.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $308.50 million, a P/E ratio of -14.38 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.40. Akebia Therapeutics has a one year low of $1.13 and a one year high of $4.08. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $1.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.55.

Insider Transactions at Akebia Therapeutics

In related news, CEO John P. Butler bought 69,270 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $1.25 per share, with a total value of $86,587.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 3,367,064 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,208,830. This trade represents a 2.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akebia Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of AKBA. UBS Group AG boosted its stake in Akebia Therapeutics by 470.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,646,233 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $9,954,000 after purchasing an additional 3,006,771 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in Akebia Therapeutics by 166.2% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,706,437 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $7,577,000 after purchasing an additional 2,938,624 shares during the period. MPM Bioimpact LLC acquired a new position in Akebia Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,516,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Akebia Therapeutics by 528.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,400,757 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,554,000 after purchasing an additional 2,018,547 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in Akebia Therapeutics by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,687,561 shares of the biopharmaceutical company's stock valued at $22,037,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842,792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 33.92% of the company's stock.

Akebia Therapeutics News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Akebia Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained a Buy rating on Akebia Therapeutics and a $6.00 price target, indicating the firm still sees meaningful upside despite cutting its earnings forecasts.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s first-quarter results prompted analysts to update their models, but revenue came in above expectations in the prior earnings report, showing some operational strength amid continued losses.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright lowered EPS estimates for Q2 2026, Q3 2026, Q4 2026, FY2026, FY2027, FY2028, and FY2029, reflecting a more pessimistic outlook for Akebia’s path to profitability. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Akebia reported a quarterly EPS loss that missed estimates in its latest earnings release, reinforcing investor concerns about ongoing earnings weakness.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares are trading near their 52-week low, and the stock remains below both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting recent sentiment has been weak.

About Akebia Therapeutics

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with kidney disease. The company's lead product candidate, vadadustat, is an investigational oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor designed to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in both dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis patients. Akebia's research and development efforts also extend to preclinical programs targeting nephrology and related metabolic disorders.

Since its founding in 2007, Akebia has pursued strategic collaborations to advance its clinical pipeline and expand its market reach.

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