Analysts Set Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Price Target at $106.75

Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) have earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $106.75.

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. B. Riley began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $109.00 price objective for the company. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, September 12th.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 2.5 %

NASDAQ VKTX opened at $40.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.66 and a beta of 0.95. Viking Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $19.15 and a 1-year high of $99.41. The company has a 50 day moving average of $50.04 and a 200-day moving average of $56.64.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.23) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics will post -0.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, Director Lawson Macartney sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.67, for a total transaction of $137,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 47,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,293,756.55. This represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total transaction of $889,790.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,500 shares in the company, valued at $768,455. The trade was a 53.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 443,701 shares of company stock worth $23,898,520. Company insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Viking Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 124.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC grew its position in Viking Therapeutics by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 84.3% during the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 553 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.