Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Director Acquires $29,946.00 in Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan purchased 1,240 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $24.15 per share, for a total transaction of $29,946.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,946. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ VKTX opened at $24.22 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $29.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.63. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $23.27 and a one year high of $81.86. The firm has a market cap of $2.72 billion, a PE ratio of -24.22 and a beta of 0.84.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.32) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.27) by ($0.05). During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.25) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on VKTX shares. Citigroup began coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $38.00 target price for the company. B. Riley restated a “buy” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (down previously from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Maxim Group cut their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $120.00 to $70.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.18.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,715,000. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 131,348 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,316,000 after buying an additional 62,956 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 109.1% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 34,023 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,154,000 after acquiring an additional 17,754 shares during the last quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 122.4% during the fourth quarter. Institute for Wealth Management LLC. now owns 80,602 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,243,000 after acquiring an additional 44,365 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 103.1% in the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 42,612 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,715,000 after acquiring an additional 21,627 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.