Sanctuary Advisors LLC Purchases New Holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 28,849 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,015,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VKTX. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 13.0% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 347,716 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,396,000 after purchasing an additional 39,886 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth $230,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 470,028 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $11,351,000 after acquiring an additional 6,696 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth $196,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,109 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $32.28 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $33.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.97. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $43.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.75 billion, a PE ratio of -7.80 and a beta of 0.72.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.37) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.01) by ($0.36). During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.41) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Viking Therapeutics news, insider Neil William Aubuchon purchased 4,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.50 per share, with a total value of $149,912.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,475 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $149,912.50. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VKTX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Monday, April 20th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research raised shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Truist Financial raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.50.

About Viking Therapeutics

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.