Leerink Partnrs Has Negative Estimate for VKTX Q2 Earnings

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) - Analysts at Leerink Partnrs lowered their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, April 23rd. Leerink Partnrs analyst T. Smith now forecasts that the biotechnology company will post earnings per share of ($0.44) for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of ($0.41). The consensus estimate for Viking Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($1.56) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Viking Therapeutics' Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.49) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($1.81) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($2.40) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($3.87) EPS and FY2028 earnings at ($1.12) EPS.

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

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Scotiabank initiated 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 on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Maxim Group dropped their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.50.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX stock opened at $24.99 on Monday. Viking Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $18.92 and a 52 week high of $81.86. The company's 50 day moving average price is $26.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price 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.

Insider Activity

In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan purchased 1,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $24.15 per share, for a total transaction of $29,946.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,946. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VKTX. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 75.9% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 64.8% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the period. FIL Ltd grew its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 116.8% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,203 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 222,100.0% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 2,222 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 2,221 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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