Viking Therapeutics' (VKTX) "Sell (D-)" Rating Reaffirmed at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Viking Therapeutics has been rated as a "sell (D-)" by Weiss Ratings, highlighting concerns regarding the stock's performance.
• Despite a recent downgrade from Zacks Research to "strong sell," other analysts like BTIG Research and Morgan Stanley maintain positive outlooks with ratings of "buy" and "overweight."
• The company's stock experienced a recent price increase, trading up to $34.42, yet remains significantly lower than its 1-year high of $81.73.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "sell (d-)" rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research report issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on VKTX. BTIG Research reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $125.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $31.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.62.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of Viking Therapeutics stock traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $34.42. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,383,511 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,901,939. Viking Therapeutics has a 1-year low of $18.92 and a 1-year high of $81.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $28.68 and a 200 day moving average of $28.63.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.81) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.67) by ($0.14). Viking Therapeutics's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.22) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 58.4% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 955 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 352 shares during the period. Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1,621.4% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,205 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Avion Wealth grew its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1,157.0% in the 3rd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 1,521 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company's stock.

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.

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