Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 852,597 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 61% from the previous session's volume of 2,192,137 shares.The stock last traded at $35.92 and had previously closed at $38.88.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VKTX shares. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $74.00 price target for the company. B. Riley assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $109.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded Viking Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.75.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Viking Therapeutics
Viking Therapeutics Stock Down 12.7 %
The company's fifty day moving average is $48.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.60. The stock has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -36.48 and a beta of 0.95.
Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.23) EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics
In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $889,790.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $768,455. This represents a 53.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 194,490 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $8,314,447.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,366,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $101,170,867.50. This trade represents a 7.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 443,701 shares of company stock valued at $23,898,520 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.
Institutional Trading of Viking Therapeutics
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 600.0% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 3,500 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $141,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 557.8% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 3,289 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $132,000 after acquiring an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $92,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 29.9% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 593,528 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $37,576,000 after acquiring an additional 136,729 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.
Viking Therapeutics Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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