Andrew Cheng Sells 1,738 Shares of Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) Stock

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) CEO Andrew Cheng sold 1,738 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.88, for a total value of $78,001.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 654,324 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $29,366,061.12. This trade represents a 0.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Andrew Cheng also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 10th, Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.77, for a total value of $1,253,100.00.
• On Monday, February 10th, Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.73, for a total transaction of $1,581,900.00.
• On Monday, January 27th, Andrew Cheng sold 30,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.90, for a total transaction of $1,647,000.00.

Akero Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:AKRO opened at $44.15 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of -11.77 and a beta of -0.19. The company’s 50-day moving average is $42.10 and its 200 day moving average is $33.84. 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 fifty-two week low of $17.86 and a fifty-two week high of $58.40.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AKRO shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $42.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their target price on Akero Therapeutics from $56.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. HC Wainwright upped 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. Citigroup raised their price objective on Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Akero Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Nine equities research 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 target price of $76.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AKRO. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 1,582 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Akero Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $83,000. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Akero Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at 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.