Leerink Partnrs Has Negative Forecast for VKTX Q2 Earnings

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs decreased their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for Viking Therapeutics in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, April 23rd. Leerink Partnrs analyst T. Smith now forecasts that the biotechnology company will earn ($0.44) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.41). The consensus estimate for Viking Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($1.56) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Viking Therapeutics' Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.49) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($1.81) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($2.40) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($3.87) EPS and FY2028 earnings at ($1.12) EPS.

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 for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.31) by ($0.10). The business's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.26) EPS.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Scotiabank began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James lifted their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down from $95.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday. One equities research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.15.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Up 3.3 %

VKTX stock traded up $0.93 during trading on Monday, reaching $28.87. The stock had a trading volume of 5,222,441 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,537,645. Viking Therapeutics has a one year low of $18.92 and a one year high of $81.86. The company's 50 day moving average is $26.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.98. The company has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -28.87 and a beta of 0.84.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan bought 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $24.15 per share, with a total value of $29,946.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,946. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in Viking Therapeutics by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 16,715,438 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $672,629,000 after purchasing an additional 96,008 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,880,713 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $75,704,000 after acquiring an additional 17,046 shares in the last quarter. Braidwell LP lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 322,689 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in Viking Therapeutics by 228.5% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,479,596 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $59,540,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029,125 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 446.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,357,241 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $54,615,000 after buying an additional 1,108,972 shares during the period. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.