MML Investors Services LLC Purchases 9,321 Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

MML Investors Services LLC boosted its stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 45.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,673 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,321 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $1,194,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 309 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. FIL Ltd raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 116.8% in the 4th 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. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 170.2% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 1,800 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan purchased 1,240 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were bought 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 in the company, valued at approximately $29,946. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ:VKTX traded up $0.25 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $27.26. 574,638 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,090,951. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $26.18 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.70. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $18.92 and a one year high of $81.86. The firm has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -27.24 and a beta of 0.75.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company posted ($0.26) EPS. The business's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VKTX. Truist Financial reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $75.00 target price (down from $95.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Citigroup started coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $38.00 price target on the stock. Maxim Group lowered their price objective 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. Finally, B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $96.00 target price (down from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.15.

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.