HC Wainwright Issues Optimistic Outlook for AKRO Earnings

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) – Analysts at HC Wainwright raised their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for Akero Therapeutics in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, March 3rd. HC Wainwright analyst E. Arce now expects that the company will post earnings per share of ($0.96) for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of ($1.16). HC Wainwright has a “Buy” rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Akero Therapeutics’ current full-year earnings is ($3.99) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Akero Therapeutics’ Q2 2025 earnings at ($1.00) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($1.04) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($1.08) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($4.07) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($4.55) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($4.19) EPS, FY2028 earnings at ($2.95) EPS and FY2029 earnings at $2.67 EPS.

Akero Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 28th. The company reported ($0.99) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.98) by ($0.01).

AKRO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group raised their target price 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. Bank of America upgraded shares of Akero Therapeutics from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $35.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $46.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Akero Therapeutics from $65.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $76.29.

Akero Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Akero Therapeutics stock opened at $45.13 on Thursday. Akero Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $17.86 and a fifty-two week high of $58.40. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.03 and a beta of -0.19. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $39.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Jonathan Young sold 10,000 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.03, for a total transaction of $280,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 218,083 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,112,866.49. This trade represents a 4.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Patrick Lamy sold 925 shares of Akero Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.79, for a total transaction of $28,480.75. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 17,858 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $549,847.82. This trade represents a 4.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 224,992 shares of company stock valued at $10,800,953 over the last quarter. Insiders own 7.94% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Akero Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 6.8% in the fourth quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 7,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 7,886 shares of the company’s stock valued at $220,000 after purchasing an additional 621 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 41,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,153,000 after purchasing an additional 637 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 21,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $584,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Akero Therapeutics by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 95,600 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter.

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.