Viking Therapeutics Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders purchased 47,999 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 189% compared to the typical volume of 16,605 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target (down previously from $95.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Maxim Group lowered their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a "sector outperform" rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan acquired 1,240 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the director now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kintayl Capital LP boosted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 96.0% in the first quarter. Kintayl Capital LP now owns 99,973 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $2,414,000 after acquiring an additional 48,979 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 76.1% during the first quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 8,759 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $212,000 after acquiring an additional 3,786 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 126.8% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,830 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,582 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 36.1% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,542 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $86,000 after purchasing an additional 939 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caas Capital Management LP grew its position in Viking Therapeutics by 151.1% in the 1st quarter. Caas Capital Management LP now owns 43,207 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 26,000 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of VKTX stock traded down $0.43 on Monday, reaching $28.93. 437,965 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,090,940. Viking Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $18.92 and a 1-year high of $81.86. The stock has a market cap of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.91 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $26.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.03.

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 prior year, the business posted ($0.26) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.