Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Shares Acquired by Rock Springs Capital Management LP

Rock Springs Capital Management LP lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 946,499 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 13,100 shares during the period. Rock Springs Capital Management LP owned approximately 1.36% of Akero Therapeutics worth $26,332,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 764.3% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the company's stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the last quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% during the fourth 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. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 32,588.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 8,172 shares of the company's stock valued at $227,000 after purchasing an additional 8,147 shares during the period. Optimize Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Finally, Sei Investments Co. purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth approximately $303,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on AKRO. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. UBS Group upped 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Sunday, March 2nd. HC Wainwright upped their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $76.29.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $1.38 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $40.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,873,243 shares, compared to its average volume of 865,124. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $42.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.33. The company has a market cap of $3.26 billion, a P/E ratio of -10.93 and a beta of -0.18. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.86 and a twelve month high of $58.40.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.98) by ($0.01). Analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Akero Therapeutics

In other news, insider Timothy Rolph sold 31,250 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 170,237 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,494,117.49. The trade was a 15.51 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO William Richard White sold 676 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 transaction of $30,338.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 61,959 shares in the company, valued at $2,780,719.92. The trade was a 1.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders bought 341,309 shares of company stock valued at $15,863,578 and sold 287,458 shares valued at $13,689,886. Insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

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.