Sphera Funds Management LTD. Reduces Position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Sphera Funds Management LTD. cut its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 22.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 103,270 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 29,796 shares during the quarter. Sphera Funds Management LTD. owned approximately 0.09% of Viking Therapeutics worth $4,156,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $1,715,000. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 122.4% during the 4th quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 80,602 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,243,000 after purchasing an additional 44,365 shares during the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 103.1% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 42,612 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,715,000 after purchasing an additional 21,627 shares during the last quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $475,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter valued at $528,000. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. B. Riley restated a "buy" rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. HC Wainwright restated a "buy" rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $87.15.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ VKTX traded down $0.93 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $27.50. 2,445,839 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,087,246. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.92 and a 12-month high of $81.73. The company has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.50 and a beta of 0.75. The business's fifty day moving average price is $26.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.11.

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 the consensus estimate of ($0.31) by ($0.10). During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.26) earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Viking Therapeutics

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

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.