Artia Global Partners LP Boosts Stock Holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Artia Global Partners LP lifted its stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 392.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 719,365 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 573,186 shares during the period. Viking Therapeutics comprises about 3.5% of Artia Global Partners LP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Artia Global Partners LP owned 0.62% of Viking Therapeutics worth $25,307,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 41.8% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,092,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $55,000,000 after purchasing an additional 616,526 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,085,487 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $54,807,000 after acquiring an additional 771,704 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,994,509 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $70,183,000 after acquiring an additional 385,903 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 536.3% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 992,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,923,000 after acquiring an additional 836,686 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 16.1% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 954,272 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,078,000 after acquiring an additional 131,994 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on VKTX shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $89.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.60.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

VKTX stock opened at $30.29 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.32 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.73. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $43.15.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.37) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.01) by ($0.36). During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.41) EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company’s pipeline leverages small-molecule approaches to target hormone signaling pathways implicated in conditions such as non‐alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and muscle wasting disorders.

The company’s lead programs include VK2809, a thyroid hormone receptor‐beta agonist designed to reduce liver fat and improve lipid profiles in patients with NASH and dyslipidemia, and VK5211, a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) aimed at enhancing muscle mass and function in individuals with muscle wasting conditions.