Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Director G. Walmsley Graham Acquires 200,000 Shares

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Director G. Walmsley Graham purchased 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.00 per share, with a total value of $9,600,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $48,000,000. This trade represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of AKRO opened at $54.21 on Friday. 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 stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.46 and a beta of -0.11. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $32.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.85. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $17.84 and a 52 week high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The company reported ($1.05) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.90) by ($0.15). Equities research analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AKRO. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 21,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 105,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,800 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,446 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in Akero Therapeutics by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 16,916 shares of the company’s stock valued at $485,000 after acquiring an additional 2,049 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AKRO shares. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $50.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Akero Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.86.

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.