11 Best Performing Healthcare Stocks to Buy Now

6. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

YTD Performance: 43.24%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 41

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) is a clinical-stage company that develops transformational treatments for patients with serious metabolic diseases that have high unmet medical needs, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), for which no approved therapies exist.

The company’s primary product is efruxifermin (EFX), which treats MASH and is undergoing phase 3 of clinical trials. Efruxifermin (EFX) is an analog of fibroblast growth factor 21, an endogenously expressed hormone that regulates carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins while offering protection against cellular stress.

Bank of America Securities analyst Jason Zemansky maintained a Buy rating on Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) on May 6 and set a price target of $63.00.

Clear Street also initiated coverage of the stock on April 30 with a Buy rating and $49 price target. In a research note, the analyst told investors that Akero Therapeutics, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AKRO) sole clinical asset and FGF21R agonist, Efruxifermin, holds “best-in-class potential” for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis treatment. It also has a high probability of success in ongoing Phase 3 trials, amassing further optimistic investor sentiment. The analyst also reasoned that Efruxifermin’s “superior efficacy” compared to its competitors in the F4 cirrhosis market “establishes clear differentiation.”