Bamco Inc. NY Sells 89,172 Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Bamco Inc. NY trimmed its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX - Free Report) by 18.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 385,472 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 89,172 shares during the quarter. Bamco Inc. NY owned approximately 0.35% of Viking Therapeutics worth $15,511,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 75.9% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 716 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 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 purchasing an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in 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 worth $55,000 after buying an additional 851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan purchased 1,240 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $24.15 per share, with a total value of $29,946.00. Following 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of VKTX stock traded up $0.56 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $27.57. The stock had a trading volume of 3,389,789 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,103,570. The firm has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of -27.57 and a beta of 0.75. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $18.92 and a one year high of $81.81. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $26.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.62.

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). During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.26) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald raised Viking Therapeutics to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. B. Riley reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $96.00 price target (down previously from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $30.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Maxim Group lowered their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $87.15.

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.