275,074 Shares in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Bought by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 275,074 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,653,000. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.39% of Akero Therapeutics at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 764.3% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company's stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 32,588.0% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,172 shares of the company's stock worth $227,000 after buying an additional 8,147 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $232,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $303,000.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO William Richard White sold 676 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $30,338.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 61,959 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,780,719.92. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Jonathan Young sold 607 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total transaction of $27,242.16. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 200,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,000,235.20. The trade was a 0.30 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders acquired 341,309 shares of company stock valued at $15,863,578 and sold 227,458 shares valued at $10,271,361. Insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

AKRO traded up $1.17 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $42.17. 1,409,568 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 868,272. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.25 and a beta of -0.18. The company has a quick ratio of 17.25, a current ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company's fifty day moving average price is $42.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.72. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $17.86 and a 52-week high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.98) by ($0.01). On average, sell-side analysts expect that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AKRO shares. HC Wainwright upped their target price 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. Bank of America upgraded shares of Akero Therapeutics from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $35.00 to $63.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $76.29.

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.