Deutsche Bank AG Sells 15,284 Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Deutsche Bank AG decreased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 70.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,427 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 15,284 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG's holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VKTX. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $51,464,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 446.7% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,357,241 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $54,615,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108,972 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Viking Therapeutics by 228.5% during the fourth quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,479,596 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,540,000 after acquiring an additional 1,029,125 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at about $24,888,000. Finally, Braidwell LP boosted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 27.9% in the fourth quarter. Braidwell LP now owns 1,479,666 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $59,542,000 after purchasing an additional 322,689 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of Viking Therapeutics stock traded up $0.49 on Tuesday, hitting $26.61. 2,515,608 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,079,399. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.61 and a beta of 0.75. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $25.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $33.42. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.92 and a 52 week high of $81.73.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the subject of several research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating and set a $96.00 price objective (down previously from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.15.

About Viking Therapeutics

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.