Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Short Interest Update

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 7,840,000 shares, a decline of 17.2% from the March 15th total of 9,470,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,360,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on AKRO shares. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $39.00.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $0.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $22.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 866,406 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,058,441. The business's 50-day moving average price is $24.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.47. The firm has a market cap of $1.25 billion, a PE ratio of -7.78 and a beta of -0.38. Akero Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $11.25 and a 52 week high of $58.38. The company has a quick ratio of 29.27, a current ratio of 29.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.82) by ($0.17). Equities analysts forecast that Akero Therapeutics will post -4.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total transaction of $121,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 263,306 shares in the company, valued at $6,419,400.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total transaction of $121,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 263,306 shares in the company, valued at $6,419,400.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Catriona Yale sold 20,646 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.49, for a total transaction of $732,726.54. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 78,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,782,948.35. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 100,646 shares of company stock worth $3,319,877. Insiders own 9.69% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 9.9% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 2,605 shares of the company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 8,761 shares of the company's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 323 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 24.8% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 21.4% during the fourth quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 2,156 shares of the company's stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 380 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,750 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period.

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.