Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Sold by DAFNA Capital Management LLC

DAFNA Capital Management LLC lessened its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 48.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,516 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 61,100 shares during the period. DAFNA Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Viking Therapeutics worth $2,596,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter worth approximately $240,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 296.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 15,190 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $962,000 after acquiring an additional 11,362 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 29.9% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 593,528 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $37,576,000 after purchasing an additional 136,729 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $92,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 557.8% during the 4th quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 3,289 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Maxim Group cut their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $87.15.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX traded down $0.63 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.67. The stock had a trading volume of 1,781,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,098,198. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.92 and a 12 month high of $81.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.19 and a 200 day moving average of $37.38. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.67 and a beta of 0.75.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.31) by ($0.10). During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.26) EPS. Viking Therapeutics's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan acquired 1,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $24.15 per share, with a total value of $29,946.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,946. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 4.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.