Insider Selling: Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) COO Sells $133,750.00 in Stock

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) COO Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.75, for a total transaction of $133,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 241,854 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,469,594.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

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

• On Monday, July 1st, Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.40, for a total transaction of $117,000.00.
• On Tuesday, June 11th, Jonathan Young sold 2,516 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.64, for a total transaction of $56,962.24.
• On Monday, June 3rd, Jonathan Young sold 5,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.29, for a total transaction of $96,450.00.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Down 4.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ AKRO opened at $25.17 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 30.12, a quick ratio of 30.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.25 and a 12-month high of $53.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.87 and a beta of -0.28. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $23.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.14.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 10th. The company reported ($0.90) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.90). On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Akero Therapeutics, Inc. will post -3.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Canaccord Genuity Group dropped their price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $59.00 to $56.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 13th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Monday, April 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Akero Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $50.00 to $38.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.13.

Institutional Trading of Akero Therapeutics

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Akero Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in Akero Therapeutics by 2,366.0% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,233 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 40.0% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Strs Ohio increased its position in shares of Akero Therapeutics by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, Quest Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Akero Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $75,000.

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.