Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock Rating Raised to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Viking Therapeutics from “strong sell” to “sell,” while broader analyst sentiment remains more favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $99.67.
• Viking shares opened at $35.56, near their 50- and 200-day moving averages, with a market capitalization of approximately $4.15 billion and a 52-week range of $24.88 to $43.15.
• The company reported a quarterly loss of $1.10 per share, beating estimates of a $1.21 loss, but analysts expect a full-year loss of $4.47 per share; insiders have also sold about $6.27 million of stock over the past three months.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Viking Therapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Oppenheimer set a $120.00 price target on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial increased their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $99.67.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $35.56 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $33.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.63 and a beta of 0.69. Viking Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $24.88 and a 1 year high of $43.15.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) EPS for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.58) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics will post -4.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total transaction of $710,132.99. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 212,204 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,102,467.88. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total transaction of $609,722.99. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 422,760 shares in the company, valued at $14,149,777.20. This trade represents a 4.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders sold 187,951 shares of company stock worth $6,268,442. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Viking Therapeutics

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 9,365 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 13.6% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,870 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 462 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 0.3% during the second quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 142,790 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $5,570,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 3.6% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 16,533 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 66.9% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,445 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 579 shares during the period. 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.

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