FY2029 Earnings Estimate for VKTX Issued By Leerink Partnrs

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs lowered their FY2029 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report issued on Wednesday, April 23rd. Leerink Partnrs analyst T. Smith now anticipates that the biotechnology company will earn $5.20 per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $5.24. The consensus estimate for Viking Therapeutics' current full-year earnings is ($1.56) per share.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.41) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.31) by ($0.10). The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.26) earnings per share.

VKTX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Scotiabank began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 target price on the stock. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and set a $102.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. Finally, Maxim Group cut 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 report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.15.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Up 8.1 %

Shares of Viking Therapeutics stock traded up $2.11 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $28.05. 7,447,143 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,073,455. The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.14 and a beta of 0.84. The business has a fifty day moving average of $26.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $40.06. Viking Therapeutics has a 1 year low of $18.92 and a 1 year high of $81.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan acquired 1,240 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.15 per share, with a total value of $29,946.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 1,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,946. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. S.A. Mason LLC lifted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Viking Therapeutics by 75.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 4,980 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $221,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 28,929 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the period. Finally, HighMark Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 9.4% in the first quarter. HighMark Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,660 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

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.