Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX Shares Sold by Kintayl Capital LP

Key Points

• Kintayl Capital LP cut its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 22.7% in Q3, selling 29,416 shares and leaving it with 100,191 shares (about $2.63M), while institutional investors own roughly 76.03% of the stock.
• Insider selling has been heavy recently—364,731 shares worth about $12.05M were sold over the past 90 days, including sizable sales by COO Marianna Mancini and a director, leaving insiders with 4.10% ownership.
• VKTX trades near $36 with a $4.16B market cap and negative EPS, and analysts are mixed but show a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a consensus target price of $87.80.

Kintayl Capital LP decreased its holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 100,191 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 29,416 shares during the quarter. Viking Therapeutics accounts for approximately 1.6% of Kintayl Capital LP's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Kintayl Capital LP owned approximately 0.09% of Viking Therapeutics worth $2,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VKTX. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 13.0% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 347,716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $8,396,000 after purchasing an additional 39,886 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 1st quarter worth approximately $230,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 470,028 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $11,351,000 after acquiring an additional 6,696 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 52.2% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 73,259 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,941,000 after acquiring an additional 25,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 58.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 955 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $36.01 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -11.32 and a beta of 0.75. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.92 and a 1-year high of $43.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $31.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.60.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.89) by ($0.49). During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.32) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Marianna Mancini sold 57,661 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.98, for a total transaction of $1,901,659.78. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 409,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,495,086.20. The trade was a 12.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Matthew W. Foehr sold 16,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.11, for a total value of $561,760.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 132,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,635,783.96. This represents a 10.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 364,731 shares of company stock worth $12,053,627. Corporate insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Viking Therapeutics from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, BTIG Research raised Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.80.

Viking Therapeutics Profile

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company's pipeline leverages small-molecule approaches to target hormone signaling pathways implicated in conditions such as non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and muscle wasting disorders.

The company's lead programs include VK2809, a thyroid hormone receptor‐beta agonist designed to reduce liver fat and improve lipid profiles in patients with NASH and dyslipidemia, and VK5211, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) aimed at enhancing muscle mass and function in individuals with muscle wasting conditions.

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