Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Insider Sells $1,742,812.50 in Stock

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) insider Timothy Rolph sold 31,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.77, for a total value of $1,742,812.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 170,237 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,494,117.49. This represents a 15.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Timothy Rolph also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, December 10th, Timothy Rolph sold 4,818 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.91, for a total transaction of $148,924.38.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AKRO traded up $2.53 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $54.00. The stock had a trading volume of 3,613,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,167,465. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $29.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.51. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.32 and a fifty-two week high of $58.40. The company has a quick ratio of 17.25, a current ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market capitalization of $3.77 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.40 and a beta of -0.19.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The company reported ($1.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.90) by ($0.15). As a group, equities research analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 21.6% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,511 shares of the company’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at $100,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Akero Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Akero Therapeutics during the third quarter worth about $211,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $265,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AKRO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $46.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $50.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.57.

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.