Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.01) by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $53.54 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $51.67 million. Akebia Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 16.70% and a negative net margin of 2.26%.

Here are the key takeaways from Akebia Therapeutics’ conference call:

• Vafseo delivered strong commercial traction with Q1 net product revenue of $15.8 million (the highest quarter to date), prescribers up ~28% and patients on therapy rising ~60% QoQ to nearly 7,500, driven by dialysis organizations adopting observed (three?times?weekly) dosing and ~86% first?refill adherence.
• Clinical evidence supporting Vafseo expanded — a post?hoc INNO2VATE analysis published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology showed lower risk of death or hospitalization versus ESA and an economic analysis showed fewer hospitalizations and ~15% lower annual hospitalization costs; top?line VOCAL data are expected by year?end 2026 and VOICE in early 2027.
• R&D momentum continued — praliciguat is enrolling a Phase II FSGS study (24?week UPCR primary endpoint), AKB?097 (Ebri) will start a Phase II open?label basket trial in H2 2026 across IgA nephropathy, lupus nephritis and C3 glomerulopathy with initial data expected in 2027, and AKB?9090 Phase I has been initiated with top?line results expected in early 2027.
• Financial headwinds — total revenues declined to $53.5 million (driven by lower Auryxia sales) and higher COGS, R&D and SG&A turned the prior?year profit into a $9.1 million net loss in Q1, although management reports cash of $162.6 million and expects sufficient runway for at least two years.

Akebia Therapeutics Price Performance

AKBA traded down $0.03 on Friday, reaching $1.16. The company had a trading volume of 1,136,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,063,255. The company has a fifty day moving average of $1.38 and a 200-day moving average of $1.57. The company has a market capitalization of $309.83 million, a P/E ratio of -57.72 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. Akebia Therapeutics has a one year low of $1.13 and a one year high of $4.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on AKBA shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (e+)” rating on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $4.00 target price on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Akebia Therapeutics from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $4.67.

Insider Transactions at Akebia Therapeutics

In related news, CEO John P. Butler bought 69,270 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $1.25 per share, for a total transaction of $86,587.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 3,367,064 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,208,830. This represents a 2.10% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akebia Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 23.0% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 21,393 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 26.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 23,279 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 4,798 shares in the last quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC boosted its position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 18,232 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 164,655 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $265,000 after purchasing an additional 8,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 16.8% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 59,502 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 8,568 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 33.92% of the company’s stock.

Akebia Therapeutics Company Profile

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is focused on the development and commercialization of therapies for patients with kidney disease. The company’s lead product candidate, vadadustat, is an investigational oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor designed to treat anemia associated with chronic kidney disease in both dialysis-dependent and non-dialysis patients. Akebia’s research and development efforts also extend to preclinical programs targeting nephrology and related metabolic disorders.

Since its founding in 2007, Akebia has pursued strategic collaborations to advance its clinical pipeline and expand its market reach.