Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) Competitors

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) and Madrigal Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:MDGL) are both mid-cap medical companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, valuation, dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings and risk.

Do analysts recommend VKTX or MDGL?

Viking Therapeutics presently has a consensus price target of $86.92, suggesting a potential upside of 256.83%. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals has a consensus price target of $439.71, suggesting a potential upside of 15.85%. Given Viking Therapeutics' stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Viking Therapeutics is more favorable than Madrigal Pharmaceuticals.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Viking Therapeutics	0 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.00
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.88

Which has more volatility and risk, VKTX or MDGL?

Viking Therapeutics has a beta of 0.67, meaning that its share price is 33% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals has a beta of -1.02, meaning that its share price is 202% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the media favor VKTX or MDGL?

In the previous week, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals had 12 more articles in the media than Viking Therapeutics. MarketBeat recorded 39 mentions for Madrigal Pharmaceuticals and 27 mentions for Viking Therapeutics. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals' average media sentiment score of 0.75 beat Viking Therapeutics' score of 0.36 indicating that Madrigal Pharmaceuticals is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Viking Therapeutics	7 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	6 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	22 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	6 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of VKTX or MDGL?

76.0% of Viking Therapeutics shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 98.5% of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.1% of Viking Therapeutics shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 21.5% of Madrigal Pharmaceuticals shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Is VKTX or MDGL more profitable?

Viking Therapeutics has a net margin of 0.00% compared to Madrigal Pharmaceuticals' net margin of -54.68%. Viking Therapeutics' return on equity of -19.98% beat Madrigal Pharmaceuticals' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Viking Therapeutics	N/A	-19.98%	-19.38%
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	-54.68%	-38.38%	-27.32%

Which has better valuation & earnings, VKTX or MDGL?

Viking Therapeutics has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Madrigal Pharmaceuticals. Madrigal Pharmaceuticals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Viking Therapeutics, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Viking Therapeutics	N/A	N/A	-$109.96M	-$1.53	-15.92
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals	$180.13M	46.78	-$465.89M	-$12.85	-29.54

Summary

Viking Therapeutics beats Madrigal Pharmaceuticals on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.