Schroder Investment Management Group Purchases 150,470 Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 89.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 319,302 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 150,470 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $8,462,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of VKTX. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the second quarter worth approximately $46,846,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 4.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 647,391 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $15,634,000 after acquiring an additional 28,922 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 59.2% in the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 597,515 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $14,430,000 after acquiring an additional 222,293 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 538,636 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $13,008,000 after acquiring an additional 2,652 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 470,028 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $11,351,000 after acquiring an additional 6,696 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Up 8.9%

Shares of NASDAQ VKTX opened at $38.57 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $34.55 and a 200 day moving average of $30.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -18.19 and a beta of 0.65. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $18.92 and a 12-month high of $52.58.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.81) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.67) by ($0.14). During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.22) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Viking Therapeutics news, CEO Brian Lian sold 38,989 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.01, for a total transaction of $1,365,004.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,419,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $84,693,006.09. The trade was a 1.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Marianna Mancini sold 6,185 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total value of $216,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 382,467 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,386,345. The trade was a 1.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 111,359 shares of company stock valued at $3,932,155 over the last three months. 4.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 19th. B. Riley upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $98.00 to $102.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald set a $105.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $87.14.

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.