Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Purchased by Geode Capital Management LLC

Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,880,713 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,046 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 1.69% of Viking Therapeutics worth $75,704,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $308,000. Stifel Financial Corp raised its holdings 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 worth $8,316,000 after purchasing an additional 62,956 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 2,265.3% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 3,548 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 3,398 shares in the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $492,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC increased its position in Viking Therapeutics by 193.1% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 20,352 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 13,409 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX opened at $22.22 on Friday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $18.92 and a one year high of $81.86. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $27.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.20. The company has a market capitalization of $2.49 billion, a P/E ratio of -22.22 and a beta of 0.84.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last released 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.25) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VKTX shares. B. Riley reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $96.00 price target (down from $109.00) on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $74.00 to $71.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $102.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Scotiabank initiated coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. They issued a “sector outperform” rating and a $102.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, Director Sarah Kathryn Rouan bought 1,240 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $24.15 per share, for a total transaction of $29,946.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,240 shares in the company, valued at $29,946. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.