Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock Holdings Lowered by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 35.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 262,163 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 143,854 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.24% of Viking Therapeutics worth $10,549,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 75.9% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 4,980 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 28,929 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 2,165 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company's stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan acquired 1,240 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,946. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Up 8.8 %

NASDAQ:VKTX traded up $1.96 on Monday, reaching $24.18. The stock had a trading volume of 6,924,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,999,607. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.92 and a 12-month high of $81.86. The stock has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -24.18 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.71 and a 200 day moving average of $43.07.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.27) by ($0.05). During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.25) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Maxim Group dropped their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Scotiabank started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, February 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.75.

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.