Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) dropped 0.7% on Monday . The company traded as low as $62.64 and last traded at $63.00. Approximately 435,885 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 92% from the average daily volume of 5,724,566 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.42.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Viking Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, March 15th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, March 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $32.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Finally, Raymond James raised their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $37.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.25.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on VKTX
Viking Therapeutics Price Performance
The stock has a market capitalization of $7.04 billion, a PE ratio of -68.48 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50 day moving average price is $65.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $33.59.
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, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.25). During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.26) EPS. Analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.1 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Transactions at Viking Therapeutics
In other news, CEO Brian Lian sold 269,079 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.87, for a total transaction of $7,230,152.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,184,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $58,707,779.34. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 25,000 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total transaction of $701,250.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 269,079 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.87, for a total transaction of $7,230,152.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,184,882 shares in the company, valued at $58,707,779.34. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 329,079 shares of company stock worth $8,769,653 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.
Institutional Trading of Viking Therapeutics
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter worth about $355,000. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 78.2% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 245,240 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $20,110,000 after buying an additional 107,657 shares in the last quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $690,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the first quarter worth $4,775,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter worth $607,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company's stock.
About Viking Therapeutics
(
Get Free Report)
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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