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Akebia Ther(AKBA)

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ADVISORIES YOU CAN VERIFY
QUALITY SIGNAL
1-STAR RATING
PASS
LAST CLOSE
$0.9
09/15/2026
(24-hour delay)

Advisory History & Simulated Performance *

*as per simulation (see disclosures)
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Upturn Advisory & Investor View for AKBA

09/15/2026: AKBA (1-star) is currently NOT-A-BUY. Pass it for now.

Akebia Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on treating patients with chronic kidney disease. Its primary strength lies in the successful FDA approval and commercial launch of Vafseo, an oral therapy for anemia. This product offers a potential growth opportunity by challenging legacy injectable treatments. However, the company faces significant competition from established industry incumbents and carries risks related to its narrow product focus, execution challenges, and historical financial losses. This stock may best suit investors comfortable with the high-risk, high-reward nature of emerging biotechnology firms. Investors should monitor prescription adoption rates and the company's progress toward achieving sustainable profitability through commercial sales.

How to Read the Upturn Advisory

The Upturn Star Rating and the current BUY, SELL, or PASS advisory are generated by Upturn’s AI advisory engine based on proprietary signal analysis, price behavior, advisory history, and historical signal performance.

Company fundamentals, valuation, risks, and news provide supporting context about the business.

Investor Fit

Investor styleFitWhy
Growth investorMixed fitThe company offers growth potential based on product commercialization but carries high execution risk.
Momentum investorMixed fitMomentum is conditional on positive news flow and commercial adoption signals.
Value investorWeak fitThe company is not currently profitable and lacks traditional value metrics.
Dividend investorWeak fitThe company does not pay dividends and reinvests all capital.
Low-risk investorWeak fitThe inherent volatility of biotech stocks makes this unsuitable for low-risk portfolios.

Risk Profile

Risk factorLevelWhy it matters
Price volatilityHighBiotech stocks are highly reactive to clinical and regulatory outcomes.
Valuation riskMedium / highValuation is sensitive to future cash flow projections which remain uncertain.
Competition risk (ESA market)HighThe company must overcome strong competition from entrenched injectable biologics.
Business qualityMediumThe company is in a transition phase from R&D to commercial-stage operation.
Dividend incomeLow / noneThere is no dividend income and none expected in the near term.
Execution riskHighSuccessfully scaling commercial operations and gaining physician adoption is a major hurdle.

Price Behavior

Steep Decline
PRICE PATH

Steep Decline

The stock price has dropped sharply with strong downward pressure.

Highly Choppy
PRICE STABILITY

Highly Choppy

The stock has experienced frequent, large price swings that make its near-term movement less predictable.

Analysis of Past Performance

Type Stock
Historic Profit -43.01%
Avg. Invested days 27
Today’s Advisory PASS
Upturn Advisory Rating upturn star rating icon
Upturn Advisory Performance Upturn Advisory Performance icon 2.0
Stock Returns Performance Upturn Returns Performance icon 1.0
Upturn Profits based on simulation icon Profits based on simulation
Upturn last close icon Last Close 09/15/2026

Upturn Scorecard

Upturn Star Rating

AKBA receives a 4-star rating, supported by solid unit economics, solid company fundamentals, and solid analyst coverage. The rating is constrained by weak price momentum.

Company Fundamentals

AKBA has solid overall fundamentals (4 stars), with moderate financial health, strong growth momentum, and solid ownership. In FY2025 versus FY2024, strong earnings growth (+92.3%) and strong cash generation (FCF margin 28.8%) are partially offset by soft profitability (net margin -2.3%), modest insider ownership of 4.06%.

Financial Health Rating

AKBA's financial health is supported by solid liquidity, including working-capital and asset support (WC/assets 23.9%). Profitability is moderate (3 stars), which helps explain the 3-star overall score.

Growth Momentum Score

Free-cash-flow growth is AKBA's strongest growth driver at +267.1% FY2025 versus FY2024 (strong, 5 stars). Revenue growth (+47.5%, strong) and earnings growth (+92.3%, strong) are also constructive, though not equally high across every growth measure.

Ownership

Institutional ownership is 43.0% and approximately 97.7% of outstanding shares are publicly tradable, supporting liquidity and institutional participation. Insider ownership of 4.06% provides only moderate management-shareholder alignment.

Top 5 Institutional Investors

BlackRock Inc 6.75%
State Street Corp 4.19%
Vanguard Capital Management, LLC 4.03%
Geode Capital Management, LLC 2.33%
The Goldman Sachs Group Inc 1.30%

Unit Economics (Per $1K Revenue)

AKBA generates approximately $833 of gross profit, $99 of operating income, and $288 of free cash flow for every $1,000 of revenue. Based on FY2025 results. Strong margins, cash conversion, and capital efficiency support the rating.

Economic Dimensions

Effective Tax Rate: -43.64% (Tax Credit)

Quantitative Style Profile

AKBA has a liquid, relatively low-volatility profile. Weak momentum is the primary drawback, while valuation that is moderately attractive rather than deeply discounted.

Style Classification

Quality Focused

Low VolatilitySmall / Mid Cap RiskShort Squeeze RiskHighly Liquid / Institution-Friendly

Key Highlights

Company Size Small-Cap Stock
Market Capitalization 266.83M USD
Price to earnings Ratio -
1Y Target Price 3.92
Price to earnings Ratio -
1Y Target Price 3.92
Volume (30-day avg) 8.1M shares
Beta 0.19
52 Weeks Range 0.81 - 3.20
Updated Date 09/15/2026
52 Weeks Range 0.81 - 3.20
Updated Date 09/15/2026
Dividends yield (FY) -
Basic EPS (TTM) -0.12

How Company Makes Money

Business areaWhat it includesRetail investor read
Product SalesRevenue generated from the sale of Vafseo (vadadustat) in the United States.The company relies on doctors choosing their drug over older, established options.

Analyzing Revenue: Products, Geography and Growth

Revenue by Products

Product revenue - Year on Year

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Valuation

Trailing PE -
Forward PE 28.74
Enterprise Value 166.55M
Price to Sales(TTM) 1.22
Enterprise Value 166.55M
Price to Sales(TTM) 1.22
Enterprise Value to Revenue 0.74
Enterprise Value to EBITDA 64.35
Shares Outstanding 277.11M
Shares Floating 270.60M
Shares Outstanding 277.11M
Shares Floating 270.60M
Percent Insiders 4.06
Percent Institutions 42.98

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Financial Metrics

🧭 Investment Snapshot

Total Revenue (Scale)

Information icon Total money earned from selling products or services before any costs. It is needed to understand the scale of the business and its ability to generate income.

Net Income (Profit)

Information icon Final profit after all expenses, interest, and taxes are deducted. It is needed to determine the overall profitability available to shareholders.

Free Cash Flow (Cash Strength)

Information icon Cash remaining after operating activities and capital expenditures, showing cash available for growth. It is needed to evaluate the company’s ability to invest, pay dividends, or reduce debt.

📈 Growth & Strength

Operating Income (Core Profit)

Information icon Profit from core operations after deducting all operating expenses. It is needed to measure how efficiently the company runs its primary business activities.

EBITDA (Cash Earnings)

Information icon Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, indicating operating cash potential. It is needed to compare operating performance across companies without accounting or financing differences.

Gross Profit (Unit Profitability)

Information icon Revenue minus cost of revenue, showing profit after direct production costs. It is needed to evaluate core business profitability before overhead expenses.

🛡️ Financial Safety

Cash (Liquidity Buffer)

Information icon Total cash and cash equivalents on hand. It is needed to evaluate immediate liquidity and financial flexibility.

Total Debt (Leverage Risk)

Information icon Total debt including both short-term and long-term components. It is needed to assess the company’s leverage and financial risk.

Net Working Capital (Short-Term Health)

Information icon Current assets minus current liabilities, indicating short-term liquidity strength. It is needed to assess whether the company can meet its short-term obligations.

🧱 Balance Sheet Strength

Stockholder Equity (Net Worth)

Information icon Total equity value held by shareholders. It is needed to understand the net worth of the company from the owners’ perspective.

Total Assets (Asset Base)

Information icon The full value of everything the company owns, including cash, inventory, equipment, and investments. It is needed to understand the resource base used to generate revenue.

Income Before Tax (Pre-Tax Earnings)

Information icon Income before provision for income taxes. It is needed to analyze profitability independent of tax structures.

⚙️ Cost & Drag Factors

Cost of Revenue (Production Cost)

Information icon Direct costs required to produce and deliver the products or services sold. It is needed to assess efficiency in production and service delivery.

Total Operating Expenses (Operating Cost)

Information icon Indirect costs of running the business such as salaries, marketing, and administration. It is needed to understand how much it costs to sustain ongoing business operations.

Income Tax Expense (Tax Drag)

Information icon Amount of taxes paid or payable to the government. It is needed to evaluate the impact of taxation on overall profitability.

About Akebia Ther

Exchange NASDAQ
Headquarters Cambridge, MA, United States
IPO Launch date 2014-03-20
CEO, President & Director Mr. John P. Butler MBA
Sector Healthcare
Industry Drug Manufacturers - Specialty & Generic
Full time employees 194
Full time employees 194

Akebia Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapeutics for patients with kidney diseases. Its product portfolio includes Vafseo (vadadustat), an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase, for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dialysis-dependent (DD) and non-dialysis dependent (NDD) patients; and Auryxia, a ferric citrate that is used to control the serum phosphorus levels in adult patients with DD-CKD and the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients with NDD-CKD. The company is also developing AKB-9090, which is in Phase 2 clinical trial for treating cardiac surgery-related acute kidney injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome; and AKB-10108 for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity in neonates. The company has license and collaboration agreements with Tanabe Pharma Corporation for the development and commercialization of Vafseo in Japan and other Asian countries; Vafseo License and Collaboration Agreements; CSL Vifor Agreements; Averoa License Agreement; License Agreement with Panion & BF Biotech, Inc.; Cyclerion Therapeutics License Agreement; and Q32 Asset Purchase Agreement. Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.