Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock Holdings Lifted by Raymond James & Associates

Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 100.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 137,583 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 68,921 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates’ holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $2,560,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 66,575 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,108,000 after buying an additional 605 shares during the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 4,526 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Group LLC lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 75.0% in the 2nd quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 2,100 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 40,557 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $449,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantum Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quantum Private Wealth LLC now owns 66,650 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $738,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Maxim Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, March 15th. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $100.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $112.25.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of VKTX opened at $66.95 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $62.55 and its 200-day moving average is $32.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -72.77 and a beta of 1.05. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $8.28 and a 12-month high of $99.41.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.25). During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.26) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, CEO Brian Lian sold 35,000 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.95, for a total value of $838,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,264,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,243,923.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Brian Lian sold 35,000 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.95, for a total value of $838,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,264,882 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $54,243,923.90. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 25,000 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.05, for a total transaction of $701,250.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 359,079 shares of company stock valued at $9,461,153 in the last quarter. Insiders own 4.40% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

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.