Janus Henderson Group PLC Buys 201,225 Shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,077,478 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 201,225 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 10.14% of Akero Therapeutics worth $203,053,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 21.6% in 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 during the last quarter. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $100,000. Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at about $205,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Akero Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $211,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Akero Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $265,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Jonathan Young sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.18, for a total value of $281,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 226,286 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,376,739.48. This represents a 4.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew Cheng sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.09, for a total value of $802,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 605,417 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,427,831.53. The trade was a 3.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 383,248 shares of company stock worth $11,940,986. Corporate insiders own 7.94% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, November 18th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, November 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $46.83.

Akero Therapeutics Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock traded up $0.17 on Wednesday, hitting $30.92. The stock had a trading volume of 1,403,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 856,359. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.59 and a 200 day moving average of $26.61. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $15.32 and a twelve month high of $37.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 17.25 and a current ratio of 17.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.25 and a beta of -0.23.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO - Get Free Report) last released 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). Sell-side analysts expect that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Akero Therapeutics 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.