Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and five have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $73.3750.

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Akero Therapeutics from an “outperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. TD Cowen cut shares of Akero Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Akero Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 11th. HC Wainwright restated a “neutral” rating and set a $54.00 price objective (down previously from $72.00) on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Akero Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ AKRO opened at $54.25 on Friday. Akero Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $21.34 and a fifty-two week high of $58.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $50.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.54. The firm has a market cap of $4.47 billion, a PE ratio of -27.96 and a beta of -0.35.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The company reported ($0.99) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.94) by ($0.05). On average, analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Akero Therapeutics

In other Akero Therapeutics news, CFO William Richard White sold 659 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.02, for a total transaction of $28,350.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 57,752 shares in the company, valued at $2,484,491.04. The trade was a 1.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Jonathan Young sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.08, for a total transaction of $576,000.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 197,484 shares in the company, valued at $9,100,062.72. This trade represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 114,253 shares of company stock valued at $5,400,989 over the last quarter. Insiders own 7.07% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 6.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 212,665 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,609,000 after purchasing an additional 12,235 shares during the last quarter. Allostery Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $729,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 54.4% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 58,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,369,000 after buying an additional 20,620 shares in the last quarter. Informed Momentum Co LLC bought a new position in Akero Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,689,000. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in Akero Therapeutics by 302.9% in the 1st quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 82,471 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 62,000 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.