Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Invests $4.73 Million in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund acquired 134,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,732,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $166,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $586,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,994,509 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $70,183,000 after purchasing an additional 385,903 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 9,365 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keudell Morrison Wealth Management bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $209,000. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, insider Neil William Aubuchon acquired 4,475 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $33.50 per share, for a total transaction of $149,912.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 4,475 shares in the company, valued at $149,912.50. This represents a ? increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

VKTX stock opened at $32.19 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $32.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $33.48. The company has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.78 and a beta of 0.72. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $43.15.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.01) by ($0.36). During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.41) EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.60.

About Viking Therapeutics

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.