Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $57.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.37 million. Akebia Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 16.81% and a negative net margin of 2.26%.

Here are the key takeaways from Akebia Therapeutics’ conference call:

• Vafseo adoption is accelerating — more than 1,000 prescribers at 24 dialysis organizations have written prescriptions and 290,000 patients have access under protocols, with improving first-refill adherence (~87% overall; ~91% in observed-dosing patients) and early Q1 momentum.
• Vafseo demand was softer in Q4 due to adherence challenges and a USRC distribution change that caused a one-time inventory drawdown (about a $4.8M impact), leaving Q4 net Vafseo revenue at $6.2M despite roughly $11M in demand.
• Clinical and economic data are building a case for Vafseo — INNO2VATE post-hoc analyses showed lower death/hospitalization versus ESAs and an ADC cost analysis reported ~7.7% fewer hospitalizations, ~16% fewer hospitalization days and ~$3,700 annual hospitalization savings per patient, with VOCAL (late 2026) and VOICE (early 2027) as key upcoming catalysts.
• Management is expanding into rare kidney disease as a new value driver, planning an AKB-097 phase 2 basket trial in H2 2026, a praliciguat FSGS Phase 2 (~60 patients) and an AKB-9090 Phase 1 in H1 2026, with an R&D day on April 2 to provide program details.
• Financial profile strengthened in 2025 — total revenues rose to $236.2M (Vafseo $45.8M), net loss narrowed to $5.3M, and cash was $184.8M with management stating runway of at least two years, though Auryxia revenue is expected to decline in 2026 due to broader generic competition.

Akebia Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of AKBA stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $1.31. 6,994,867 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,537,249. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $1.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.11. The company has a market cap of $347.63 million, a P/E ratio of -65.47 and a beta of 0.38. Akebia Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $1.14 and a 12 month high of $4.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 1.94.

Insider Activity at Akebia Therapeutics

In related news, CAO Richard C. Malabre sold 49,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $1.39, for a total transaction of $68,838.36. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 299,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $416,152.10. The trade was a 14.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akebia Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS Group AG raised its stake in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 470.2% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,646,233 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $9,954,000 after buying an additional 3,006,771 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Akebia Therapeutics by 166.2% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,706,437 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,577,000 after acquiring an additional 2,938,624 shares during the period. MPM Bioimpact LLC bought a new stake in Akebia Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $10,516,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Akebia Therapeutics by 528.1% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,400,757 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,554,000 after acquiring an additional 2,018,547 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 13,687,561 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $22,037,000 after purchasing an additional 1,842,792 shares in the last quarter. 33.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Akebia Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Akebia Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported strong commercial performance — Q4 2025 net product revenue of $54.3M and full‑year 2025 net product revenue of $227.3M (a 49% increase vs. 2024); company expects meaningful Vafseo (vadadustat) revenue growth in 2026 and is advancing clinical programs (praliciguat Phase 2 enrolling for FSGS; AKB‑097 Phase 2 rare kidney disease basket trial planned for 2H 2026). Akebia Therapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results and Commercial and Pipeline Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and highlights are available — the call provides management color on commercial execution, 2026 revenue drivers and pipeline timelines for investors wanting detail on guidance and cadence. Akebia (AKBA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage roundup published that summarizes current sell/hold/buy positioning and recent analyst comments — useful for gauging consensus and near‑term catalysts. 6AKBA : Where Akebia Therapeutics Stands With Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: EPS miss: Akebia reported ($0.05) EPS vs. consensus ($0.03) — despite revenue beating estimates, the bottom‑line miss and negative net margin / ROE metrics raise near‑term profitability concerns. Akebia Therapeutics Q4 Earnings (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pessimism: BTIG published a bearish forecast for AKBA, which can weigh on sentiment and trading until clearer profitability/growth trajectories are demonstrated. BTIG Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Elevated short interest history — reports show ~31.2M shares short (~12.1% of float) with a ~7.1 days‑to‑cover (as of mid‑Feb), which can amplify downside pressure; note some recent short‑interest entries contain inconsistent/zero values, suggesting data reporting noise that investors should verify with official exchange filings.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AKBA has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Akebia Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 6th. BTIG Research dropped their price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $5.40.

About Akebia Therapeutics

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with kidney disease. The company’s lead product candidate, vadadustat, is an investigational oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor designed to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in both dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis patients. Akebia’s research and development efforts also extend to preclinical programs targeting nephrology and related metabolic disorders.

Since its founding in 2007, Akebia has pursued strategic collaborations to advance its clinical pipeline and expand its market reach.