Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Bought by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 100.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 137,583 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 68,921 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates owned 0.14% of Viking Therapeutics worth $2,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Retirement Group LLC boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 75.0% in the second quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter worth about $63,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $122,000. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter worth about $129,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 185.9% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,071 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 5,248 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Up 1.5 %

NASDAQ VKTX traded up $1.00 on Tuesday, reaching $67.95. 2,090,682 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,931,134. The business's fifty day moving average price is $63.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -73.86 and a beta of 1.05. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $8.28 and a fifty-two week high of $99.41.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.25) EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.25). During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.26) earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related 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 filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CEO Brian Lian sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.95, for a total value of $838,250.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,264,882 shares in the company, valued at approximately $54,243,923.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 have sold a total of 359,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,461,153 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $116.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Maxim Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 15th. HC Wainwright reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, BTIG Research lifted their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $112.25.

Viking Therapeutics Company 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.