Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Up 4.8% – Still a Buy?

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)’s stock price was up 4.8% on Friday . The company traded as high as $45.00 and last traded at $43.48. Approximately 4,098,534 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 8% from the average daily volume of 4,463,451 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VKTX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. B. Riley started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $109.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $138.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. StockNews.com raised Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $106.75.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Up 1.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of -45.43 and a beta of 0.88. The company’s 50-day moving average is $57.58 and its 200 day moving average is $57.81.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last issued its earnings results 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 period last year, the firm posted ($0.23) earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 11,000 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $768,455. The trade was a 53.66 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Greg Zante sold 131,687 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.61, for a total transaction of $10,088,541.07. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 149,366 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,442,929.26. This trade represents a 46.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 144,687 shares of company stock valued at $11,115,671. Corporate insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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