Insider Selling: Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) COO Sells 607 Shares of Stock

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) COO Jonathan Young sold 607 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $27,242.16. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 200,540 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,000,235.20. This represents a 0.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Jonathan Young also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 4th, Jonathan Young sold 50,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.86, for a total value of $2,243,000.00.
• On Monday, February 3rd, Jonathan Young sold 10,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.81, for a total value of $538,100.00.
• On Thursday, January 2nd, Jonathan Young sold 10,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.03, for a total value of $280,300.00.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of AKRO opened at $44.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 17.25 and a quick ratio of 17.25. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $42.10 and a 200-day moving average of $33.84. The company has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of -11.77 and a beta of -0.19. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $17.86 and a one year high of $58.40.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Akero Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $76.29.

Institutional Trading of Akero Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. bought a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 764.3% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000.

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.