Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock Price Down 1.1%

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) shares were down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $70.49 and last traded at $70.86. Approximately 454,476 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 93% from the average daily volume of 6,066,506 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on VKTX shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. BTIG Research raised their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Maxim Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 15th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, February 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.25.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $59.86 and a 200-day moving average of $30.70. The company has a market cap of $7.81 billion, a PE ratio of -77.02 and a beta of 1.05.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.25). During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.26) EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $691,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Brian Lian sold 269,079 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.87, for a total value of $7,230,152.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,184,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $58,707,779.34. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total value of $691,500.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 359,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,461,153 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Perpetual Ltd acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $78,586,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter valued at about $976,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,381,904 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $100,157,000 after purchasing an additional 97,552 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 88.3% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,119,885 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $20,841,000 after purchasing an additional 525,296 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.