Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Insider Acquires $149,912.50 in Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) insider Neil William Aubuchon bought 4,475 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.50 per share, with a total value of $149,912.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 4,475 shares in the company, valued at $149,912.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of VKTX opened at $35.47 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $31.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.39. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.92 and a 12 month high of $43.15. The company has a market capitalization of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of -11.15 and a beta of 0.75.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.38) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by ($0.49). During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.32) earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Viking Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 13.0% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 347,716 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $8,396,000 after buying an additional 39,886 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at about $230,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 470,028 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $11,351,000 after buying an additional 6,696 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 52.2% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 73,259 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,941,000 after acquiring an additional 25,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 39.7% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 13,974 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $370,000 after acquiring an additional 3,974 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. BTIG Research upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.80.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company’s pipeline leverages small-molecule approaches to target hormone signaling pathways implicated in conditions such as non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and muscle wasting disorders.

The company’s lead programs include VK2809, a thyroid hormone receptor‐beta agonist designed to reduce liver fat and improve lipid profiles in patients with NASH and dyslipidemia, and VK5211, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) aimed at enhancing muscle mass and function in individuals with muscle wasting conditions.