HC Wainwright Has Pessimistic Outlook of VKTX Q2 Earnings

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) - Equities researchers at HC Wainwright reduced their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Viking Therapeutics in a note issued to investors on Thursday, April 24th. HC Wainwright analyst J. Pantginis now forecasts that the biotechnology company will post earnings of ($0.42) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of ($0.35). HC Wainwright has a "Buy" rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Viking Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($1.56) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Viking Therapeutics' Q3 2025 earnings at ($0.45) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.48) EPS and FY2025 earnings at ($1.76) EPS.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.34) by ($0.07). During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.26) earnings per share.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James increased their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.50.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $24.99 on Monday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $26.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.34. The company has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.99 and a beta of 0.84. Viking Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $18.92 and a 1-year high of $81.86.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan bought 1,240 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.15 per share, for a total transaction of $29,946.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,946. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,715,438 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $672,629,000 after purchasing an additional 96,008 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,880,713 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $75,704,000 after purchasing an additional 17,046 shares during the last quarter. Braidwell LP increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 27.9% in the 4th quarter. Braidwell LP now owns 1,479,666 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $59,542,000 after buying an additional 322,689 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 228.5% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,479,596 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,540,000 after buying an additional 1,029,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 446.7% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,357,241 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $54,615,000 after buying an additional 1,108,972 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.