Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) traded down 3.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $28.26 and last traded at $28.28. 556,478 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 86% from the average session volume of 3,965,969 shares. The stock had previously closed at $29.28.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Maxim Group decreased 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.18.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on VKTX
Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 2.9 %
The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.25 and a beta of 0.90. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $30.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.85.
Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.27) by ($0.05). During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.25) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity
In other news, COO Marianna Mancini sold 54,215 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $2,317,691.25. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 374,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,994,228.50. This trade represents a 12.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 194,490 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $8,314,447.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,366,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 299,014 shares of company stock worth $12,782,849. Insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.
Institutional Trading of Viking Therapeutics
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $604,000. Lighthouse Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth about $563,000. United Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth about $234,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 47,547 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,913,000 after purchasing an additional 2,295 shares during the period. Finally, Mpwm Advisory Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at about $170,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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