Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Buy" from the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $109.80.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VKTX. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $80.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and set a $138.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ:VKTX traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $49.11. The stock had a trading volume of 4,805,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,548,135. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a P/E ratio of -52.81 and a beta of 1.00. Viking Therapeutics has a 12-month low of $11.21 and a 12-month high of $99.41. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.00.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.23) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics will post -0.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, CEO Brian Lian sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.90, for a total value of $69,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,354,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $164,609,397.30. This trade represents a 0.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Greg Zante sold 131,687 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.61, for a total value of $10,088,541.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 149,366 shares in the company, valued at $11,442,929.26. This trade represents a 46.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 377,817 shares of company stock valued at $27,607,313 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oak Ridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $837,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 43.5% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 102,324 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $6,478,000 after purchasing an additional 31,011 shares in the last quarter. Nvwm LLC purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at $999,000. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 88.0% during the 3rd quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 36,666 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,322,000 after purchasing an additional 17,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in Viking Therapeutics by 34.1% in the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 38,143 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $2,415,000 after purchasing an additional 9,699 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.