Eversept Partners LP Takes Position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Eversept Partners LP purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 239,110 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,781,000. Eversept Partners LP owned approximately 0.21% of Viking Therapeutics at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VKTX. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 41.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,092,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $55,000,000 after buying an additional 616,526 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 58.7% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,085,487 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,807,000 after acquiring an additional 771,704 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,994,509 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $70,183,000 after purchasing an additional 385,903 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 536.3% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 992,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,923,000 after acquiring an additional 836,686 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 954,272 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,078,000 after acquiring an additional 131,994 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX stock opened at $34.87 on Tuesday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $43.15. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $33.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.42 and a beta of 0.66.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.01) by ($0.36). During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on VKTX shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Lake Street Capital began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $89.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.00.

Viking Therapeutics Profile

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company’s pipeline leverages small-molecule approaches to target hormone signaling pathways implicated in conditions such as non?alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and muscle wasting disorders.

The company’s lead programs include VK2809, a thyroid hormone receptor?beta agonist designed to reduce liver fat and improve lipid profiles in patients with NASH and dyslipidemia, and VK5211, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) aimed at enhancing muscle mass and function in individuals with muscle wasting conditions.