Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Buy" from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $87.15.

Several brokerages have commented on VKTX. Maxim Group lowered their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price 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. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan purchased 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.15 per share, with a total value of $29,946.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 1,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,946. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 4.10% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VKTX. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 75.9% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 1,621.4% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,205 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 64.8% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,363 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FIL Ltd boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 116.8% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 1,203 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

VKTX stock traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $28.04. 1,159,182 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,099,535. The firm has a market cap of $3.15 billion, a P/E ratio of -28.06 and a beta of 0.75. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $26.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.92. Viking Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $18.92 and a 1-year high of $81.73.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last issued 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 business's revenue 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. On average, equities research analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.