Boone Capital Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Boone Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 209,853 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 16,964 shares during the quarter. Viking Therapeutics accounts for about 2.8% of Boone Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th largest position. Boone Capital Management LLC owned about 0.19% of Viking Therapeutics worth $8,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 75.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. FIL Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 116.8% in the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,203 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 170.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth about $63,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ:VKTX traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $27.61. 1,731,343 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,108,528. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $26.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.61 and a beta of 0.75. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.92 and a 12-month high of $81.73.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.31) by ($0.10). During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.26) earnings per share. Viking Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upped their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan bought 1,240 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.15 per share, for a total transaction of $29,946.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,946. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics 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.