Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Director G. Walmsley Graham Acquires 50,000 Shares

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Director G. Walmsley Graham bought 50,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $43.55 per share, with a total value of $2,177,500.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,200,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,260,000. This represents a 4.35 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

G. Walmsley Graham also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 25th, G. Walmsley Graham purchased 91,309 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $44.75 per share, for a total transaction of $4,086,077.75.
• On Thursday, January 30th, G. Walmsley Graham acquired 200,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.00 per share, with a total value of $9,600,000.00.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Down 2.0 %

AKRO stock opened at $42.72 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $46.01 and its 200 day moving average is $35.02. The stock has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.39 and a beta of -0.19. The company has a current ratio of 17.25, a quick ratio of 17.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $17.86 and a 1-year high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.98) by ($0.01). Sell-side analysts predict that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on AKRO. Bank of America raised Akero Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $35.00 to $63.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group raised their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup upped their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 764.3% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 1,582 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $197,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the third quarter worth about $211,000.

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.