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

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Director G. Walmsley Graham bought 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,200,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $52,260,000. The trade was a 4.35 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

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

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

Akero Therapeutics stock opened at $43.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 17.25 and a current ratio of 17.25. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $17.86 and a one year high of $58.40. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $45.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of -11.62 and a beta of -0.19.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.98) by ($0.01). As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Akero Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Akero Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at about $211,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $491,000. Algert Global LLC grew its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 8.3% during the third quarter. Algert Global LLC now owns 68,052 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,952,000 after buying an additional 5,191 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 732.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 30,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 26,691 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC raised its holdings in Akero Therapeutics by 117.8% in the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 269,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,735,000 after acquiring an additional 145,813 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on AKRO shares. HC Wainwright upped their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America raised Akero Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Sunday, March 2nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $76.29.

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.