Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) Now Covered by HC Wainwright

Key Points

• HC Wainwright has initiated coverage on Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ: AKRO) with a "buy" rating and a price target of $72.00, suggesting a potential upside of 61.19% from its current price.
• Several analysts have given the company a "buy" rating, with the average price target across these ratings at $81.14, reflecting strong optimism about the stock's future performance.
• In the most recent quarterly earnings, Akero reported an EPS of ($0.86), which exceeded analysts' expectations, indicating a positive outlook for the company's financial health.

Equities researchers at HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright's price target would indicate a potential upside of 62.86% from the company's previous close. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Akero Therapeutics' Q1 2026 earnings at ($0.96) EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at ($0.99) EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at ($1.02) EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at ($1.04) EPS.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Akero Therapeutics from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 16th. Citigroup decreased 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. Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, August 4th. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a report on Monday, August 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $81.14.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded down $0.36 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $44.21. The company had a trading volume of 325,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,369,758. The company has a market capitalization of $3.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.05 and a beta of -0.24. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $49.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $46.63. The company has a current ratio of 12.66, a quick ratio of 12.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.02. Akero Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $21.34 and a 1-year high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 prior year, the firm earned ($0.81) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Timothy Rolph sold 12,500 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.09, for a total transaction of $638,625.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 167,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,538,365.16. This trade represents a 6.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Catriona Yale sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.23, for a total transaction of $542,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 92,231 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,001,687.13. The trade was a 9.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 148,192 shares of company stock worth $7,484,661. Corporate insiders own 7.07% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $57,396,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Akero Therapeutics by 406.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,320,461 shares of the company's stock worth $70,460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,059,860 shares during the period. RTW Investments LP increased its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 15.9% during the fourth quarter. RTW Investments LP now owns 6,859,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $190,840,000 after buying an additional 940,388 shares during the period. Bellevue Group AG grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 58.7% in the second quarter. Bellevue Group AG now owns 1,985,272 shares of the company's stock worth $105,934,000 after purchasing an additional 734,606 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth approximately $18,059,000.

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.