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

Akebia Therapeutics (NASDAQ:AKBA) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by ($0.02), FiscalAI reports. Akebia Therapeutics had a negative net margin of 7.07% and a negative return on equity of 137.67%. The business had revenue of $57.62 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $48.37 million.

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

• Vafseo adoption is accelerating — more than 1,000 prescribers at 24 dialysis organizations have written prescriptions and 290,000 patients have access under protocols, with improving first-refill adherence (~87% overall; ~91% in observed-dosing patients) and early Q1 momentum.
• Vafseo demand was softer in Q4 due to adherence challenges and a USRC distribution change that caused a one-time inventory drawdown (about a $4.8M impact), leaving Q4 net Vafseo revenue at $6.2M despite roughly $11M in demand.
• Clinical and economic data are building a case for Vafseo — INNO2VATE post-hoc analyses showed lower death/hospitalization versus ESAs and an ADC cost analysis reported ~7.7% fewer hospitalizations, ~16% fewer hospitalization days and ~$3,700 annual hospitalization savings per patient, with VOCAL (late 2026) and VOICE (early 2027) as key upcoming catalysts.
• Management is expanding into rare kidney disease as a new value driver, planning an AKB-097 phase 2 basket trial in H2 2026, a praliciguat FSGS Phase 2 (~60 patients) and an AKB-9090 Phase 1 in H1 2026, with an R&D day on April 2 to provide program details.
• Financial profile strengthened in 2025 — total revenues rose to $236.2M (Vafseo $45.8M), net loss narrowed to $5.3M, and cash was $184.8M with management stating runway of at least two years, though Auryxia revenue is expected to decline in 2026 due to broader generic competition.

Akebia Therapeutics Stock Performance

AKBA stock traded up $0.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $1.32. The company had a trading volume of 4,931,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,352,859. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $1.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $2.13. The company has a market cap of $350.29 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.85 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 1.80 and a current ratio of 1.94. Akebia Therapeutics has a twelve month low of $1.14 and a twelve month high of $4.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

AKBA has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reduced their price target on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Akebia Therapeutics from $6.00 to $4.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered Akebia Therapeutics from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 28th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Akebia Therapeutics in a report on Friday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Akebia Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $5.40.

Insider Transactions at Akebia Therapeutics

In other Akebia Therapeutics news, CAO Richard C. Malabre sold 49,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1.39, for a total value of $68,838.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 299,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $416,152.10. This trade represents a 14.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Akebia Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AKBA. Cibc World Markets Corp acquired a new position in shares of Akebia Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Akebia Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Polymer Capital Management US LLC boosted its position in Akebia Therapeutics by 49.5% in the 3rd quarter. Polymer Capital Management US LLC now owns 18,232 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 6,034 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Akebia Therapeutics by 263.0% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 22,822 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 16,535 shares during the period. 33.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.