Akero Therapeutics’ (AKRO) Buy Rating Reiterated at HC Wainwright

HC Wainwright reissued their buy rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $50.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Akero Therapeutics’ Q3 2024 earnings at ($0.85) EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at ($0.88) EPS, FY2024 earnings at ($3.44) EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at ($0.91) EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at ($0.93) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($0.96) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.96) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($3.77) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($3.57) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($1.43) EPS and FY2028 earnings at $1.47 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an overweight rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, June 11th. They issued an outperform rating for the company. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $50.00 to $38.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. They set a neutral rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $41.13.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Down 4.1 %

NASDAQ AKRO opened at $23.76 on Monday. Akero Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $11.25 and a 52 week high of $53.77. The company has a quick ratio of 30.12, a current ratio of 30.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.43 and a beta of -0.28. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $24.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.25.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 9th. The company reported ($0.81) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.90) by $0.09. On average, equities research analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics will post -3.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 7,894 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total value of $178,720.16. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 581,553 shares in the company, valued at $13,166,359.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Akero Therapeutics news, CFO William Richard White sold 139,083 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.98, for a total transaction of $3,752,459.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,791 shares in the company, valued at $1,127,521.18. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 7,894 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total transaction of $178,720.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 581,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,166,359.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 205,529 shares of company stock worth $5,452,376 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Akero Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP grew its position in Akero Therapeutics by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 6,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 1,030 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 2,366.0% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,233 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000.

About Akero Therapeutics

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.