Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Sold by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 66.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 86,712 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 170,112 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.08% of Viking Therapeutics worth $5,490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 124.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 84.3% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 553 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, CFO Greg Zante sold 131,687 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.61, for a total value of $10,088,541.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 149,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,442,929.26. This represents a 46.85 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Lawson Macartney sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.67, for a total transaction of $137,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 47,965 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,293,756.55. The trade was a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 371,117 shares of company stock valued at $27,140,009. Insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of VKTX stock traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $49.77. 1,338,012 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,491,402. The business's fifty day moving average is $61.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.23. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $14.82 and a 12-month high of $99.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a P/E ratio of -53.52 and a beta of 0.88.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.23) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $106.75.

About Viking Therapeutics

Viking Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company's lead drug candidate is VK2809, an orally available tissue and receptor-subtype selective agonist of the thyroid hormone receptor beta (TRß), which is in Phase IIb clinical trials to treat patients with biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, as well as NAFLD.