Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 1,043,239 Shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

Janus Henderson Group PLC cut its position in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 14.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,034,239 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,043,239 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 8.65% of Akero Therapeutics worth $167,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in AKRO. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $220,000 after acquiring an additional 621 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 21,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 105,686 shares of the company's stock worth $2,940,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares during the period.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

AKRO traded down $1.09 on Friday, hitting $38.87. 1,307,830 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 908,125. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 17.25 and a quick ratio of 17.25. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.86 and a 12 month high of $58.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.37 and a beta of -0.12. The business has a 50-day moving average of $40.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $37.73.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The company reported $0.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.01) by $1.91. Sell-side analysts forecast that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Akero Therapeutics

In other Akero Therapeutics news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.48, for a total value of $1,244,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 594,324 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,652,559.52. This trade represents a 4.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Catriona Yale sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.87, for a total value of $498,700.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 95,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,769,965.76. This trade represents a 9.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 219,208 shares of company stock valued at $9,218,994. 7.94% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Sunday, March 2nd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Akero Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $82.33.

About Akero Therapeutics

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.