Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Bought by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 1,557.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 371,604 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 349,186 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.37% of Viking Therapeutics worth $6,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Retirement Group LLC grew its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 75.0% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth approximately $63,000. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on VKTX shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $32.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised Viking Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $112.25.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 2.4 %

Shares of VKTX traded down $1.67 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $66.95. 2,129,906 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,984,459. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.04. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.28 and a 52 week high of $99.41. The company has a market cap of $7.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -72.77 and a beta of 1.05.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.25) EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.25). During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.26) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In other Viking Therapeutics news, CEO Brian Lian sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.95, for a total value of $838,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,264,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $54,243,923.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, January 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.05, for a total transaction of $691,500.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.95, for a total transaction of $838,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,264,882 shares of the company's stock, valued at $54,243,923.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 359,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,461,153. Corporate insiders own 4.40% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Profile

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.