Blue Trust Inc. Makes New $26,000 Investment in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 407 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VKTX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Viking Therapeutics by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,381,904 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $100,157,000 after acquiring an additional 97,552 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $607,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $1,422,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the first quarter worth about $369,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth about $2,385,000. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director J Matthew Singleton sold 20,786 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.53, for a total value of $1,195,818.58. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,535. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director J Matthew Singleton sold 20,786 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.53, for a total value of $1,195,818.58. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,535. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan sold 11,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.89, for a total value of $889,790.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 9,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $768,455. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 525,473 shares of company stock worth $37,088,158. Insiders own 4.70% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

NASDAQ VKTX opened at $72.88 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -78.36 and a beta of 1.00. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $9.34 and a 52-week high of $99.41.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.23) earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.98 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VKTX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $116.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.60.

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.