abrdn plc Takes $1.67 Million Position in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

abrdn plc acquired a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 71,542 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,671,000. abrdn plc owned approximately 0.13% of Akero Therapeutics at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alkeon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,767,380 shares of the company's stock valued at $190,554,000 after buying an additional 300,000 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 12.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,012,182 shares of the company's stock worth $152,356,000 after acquiring an additional 326,308 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,750,348 shares of the company's stock worth $139,113,000 after acquiring an additional 162,820 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 154.4% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 779,126 shares of the company's stock worth $39,409,000 after acquiring an additional 472,898 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 538,023 shares of the company's stock worth $27,213,000 after acquiring an additional 77,594 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AKRO has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. They set a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $37.71.

Insider Activity at Akero Therapeutics

In related news, COO Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total transaction of $121,900.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 263,306 shares in the company, valued at $6,419,400.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Catriona Yale sold 20,646 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 78,415 shares in the company, valued at $2,782,948.35. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.38, for a total value of $121,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 263,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,419,400.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 100,646 shares of company stock worth $3,319,877 over the last ninety days. 9.69% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Akero Therapeutics Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of AKRO stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $19.89. The company's stock had a trading volume of 749,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,224,213. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.02 and a beta of -0.38. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $11.25 and a one year high of $58.38. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $24.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.85. The company has a current ratio of 29.27, a quick ratio of 29.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 29th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.82) by ($0.17). Equities research analysts expect that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.93 EPS for the current year.

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.