37,910 Shares in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Bought by Tejara Capital Ltd

Key Points

• Tejara Capital Ltd purchased 37,910 shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. valued at approximately $916,000, marking a new investment in the biotechnology company during the first quarter.
• Viking Therapeutics recently reported earnings of ($0.58) EPS, below analysts' expectations, and is projected to post an EPS of -1.56 for the current fiscal year.
• Hedge funds and institutional investors hold 76.03% of Viking Therapeutics' stock, indicating significant institutional interest in the company.

Tejara Capital Ltd bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 37,910 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $916,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wells Fargo & Company MN raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 261,635 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $10,528,000 after buying an additional 69,355 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $24,888,000. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 46,730 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,880,000 after buying an additional 780 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 92,556 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,723,000 after buying an additional 9,825 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mariner LLC raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 40.5% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 14,426 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $580,000 after buying an additional 4,161 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX stock opened at $40.24 on Friday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $18.92 and a one year high of $81.73. The company's 50-day moving average is $30.86 and its 200 day moving average is $28.77. The company has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.30 and a beta of 0.67.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.58) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.44) by ($0.14). During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.20) EPS. Viking Therapeutics's quarterly revenue was up NaN% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VKTX shares. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, June 25th. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $75.00 price objective (down from $95.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.92.

Insider Transactions at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, COO Marianna Mancini sold 4,266 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.77, for a total value of $118,466.82. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 377,535 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,484,146.95. This trade represents a 1.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 26,889 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.80, for a total transaction of $747,514.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,388,014 shares in the company, valued at approximately $66,386,789.20. The trade was a 1.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 35,421 shares of company stock worth $984,405 over the last three months. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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