Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Oppenheimer set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.67.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of VKTX opened at $35.56 on Friday. Viking Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $24.88 and a 1-year high of $43.15. The stock has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of -7.63 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.58.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.11. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.58) EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics will post -4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total value of $710,132.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 212,204 shares in the company, valued at $7,102,467.88. This trade represents a 9.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Marianna Mancini sold 18,217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total transaction of $609,722.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 422,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,149,777.20. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 187,951 shares of company stock valued at $6,268,442. 5.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Timothy G. Youngquist 2020 Irrevocable Trust increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 141.6% in the 2nd quarter. Timothy G. Youngquist 2020 Irrevocable Trust now owns 271,849 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $10,605,000 after purchasing an additional 159,349 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $3,334,000. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter worth $241,458,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 18.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 542,516 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $17,653,000 after purchasing an additional 82,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $1,783,000. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Viking Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: VK2735 data supports the obesity-drug opportunity. Recent updates indicate that weight loss from Viking’s candidate may persist after treatment, an important potential differentiator as the company advances its weight-loss programs into late-stage trials. Viking Therapeutics Soared After Its Latest GLP-1 Data
• Positive Sentiment: Additional funding improves financial flexibility. Viking priced an upsized $500 million financing consisting of 7.86 million common shares sold at $35 each and $225 million of 2.00% convertible senior notes due 2032. The proceeds should help fund clinical development and corporate operations without an immediate need for another raise. Viking Therapeutics Prices Upsized $500 Million Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains generally constructive but mixed. Leerink Partners maintained a Buy rating, while Goldman Sachs maintained a Hold rating. The broader analyst consensus is reported as Moderate Buy, suggesting optimism about Viking’s pipeline but continued valuation and execution concerns. Leerink Partners Sticks to Their Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading activity has been unusually high. Heavy share volume and a sharp increase in call-option activity show elevated investor interest, but these indicators reflect positioning and volatility rather than a clear change in Viking’s fundamentals. Viking Therapeutics Sees Strong Trading Volume
• Negative Sentiment: The equity offering creates dilution and was priced at a substantial discount. The common stock was issued at $35, below the prior market price, and the convertible notes could create additional dilution if converted. The upsized raise therefore pressured the shares despite the company’s promising drug data. Why Is Viking Therapeutics Stock Trading Down Thursday?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on execution risk. Viking is still a clinical-stage biotechnology company with no established commercial revenue, meaning its valuation depends heavily on successful trials, regulatory approval and eventual competition with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company’s research programs target conditions including obesity, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), dyslipidemia and other disorders involving hormone regulation and metabolism.

Viking’s lead program is VK2735, an investigational dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors being developed in injectable and oral formulations for obesity and related metabolic conditions.