Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Reduces Position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. reduced its holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 45.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 267,464 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 226,486 shares during the period. Nationale Nederlanden Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. owned about 0.24% of Viking Therapeutics worth $10,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Waverly Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 48,369 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,946,000 after acquiring an additional 12,426 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 46.2% in the 4th quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 93,294 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,754,000 after purchasing an additional 29,475 shares during the period. Tang Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 166.7% in the 4th quarter. Tang Capital Management LLC now owns 320,000 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $12,877,000 after purchasing an additional 200,000 shares during the period. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $813,000. Finally, Second Line Capital LLC raised its position in Viking Therapeutics by 29.9% during the fourth quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 49,511 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,992,000 after acquiring an additional 11,393 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Maxim Group dropped their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Scotiabank started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 13th. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 price target on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.15.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of VKTX opened at $27.50 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $26.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.79. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $18.92 and a twelve month high of $81.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.50 and a beta of 0.75.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.26) EPS. Analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan purchased 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $24.15 per share, with a total value of $29,946.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,946. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

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