Rafferty Asset Management LLC Acquires 17,410 Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 271,163 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,410 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC owned about 0.24% of Viking Therapeutics worth $10,912,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the fourth quarter worth $477,000. Man Group plc raised its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 3,373.4% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 448,732 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $18,057,000 after buying an additional 435,813 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 319,868 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $12,871,000 after buying an additional 1,868 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $429,000. Finally, Ethic Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Up 4.3%

NASDAQ:VKTX traded up $1.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.67. 2,383,212 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,086,863. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12 month low of $18.92 and a 12 month high of $81.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $26.11 and a 200 day moving average of $35.79. The stock has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a PE ratio of -28.67 and a beta of 0.75.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.31) by ($0.10). During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.26) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VKTX shares. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price objective for the company. Maxim Group dropped their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan bought 1,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $24.15 per share, for a total transaction of $29,946.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 1,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,946. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 4.10% 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.