Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Price Target Raised to $114.00 at Canaccord Genuity Group

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) had its target price upped by equities researchers at Canaccord Genuity Group from $107.00 to $114.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Canaccord Genuity Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 250.48% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VKTX. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $83.00 price objective for the company. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.88.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX stock traded down $0.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $32.53. 1,316,998 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,622,393. Viking Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $43.15. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $34.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.97. The firm has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -7.82 and a beta of 0.66.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.11. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.58) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics will post -4.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Viking Therapeutics news, CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total value of $4,948,586.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 2,572,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,713,734.12. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total transaction of $710,132.99. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 212,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,102,467.88. This trade represents a 9.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 187,951 shares of company stock worth $6,268,442. 5.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 58.0% in the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 945 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 169.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,077 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Viking Therapeutics

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking Therapeutics this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viking said its Phase 3 VANQUISH 1 and 2 trials of injectable VK2735 for obesity are fully enrolled and progressing. The company expects to report maintenance-dosing data in the third quarter of 2026, while Phase 3 testing of oral VK2735 is expected to begin in the fourth quarter. Management believes the pill could become the first oral dual GLP-1 agonist to reach the market, offering a potentially differentiated position in the highly competitive obesity-treatment market. Viking Therapeutics second-quarter corporate update
• Positive Sentiment: VKTX reported a second-quarter loss of $1.10 per share, narrower than analysts’ expected $1.21 loss. Viking also ended June with approximately $502 million in cash and equivalents, giving it resources to fund its clinical programs. Its Phase 1 study of amylin agonist VK3019 is also underway. Viking Therapeutics second-quarter financial results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains broadly favorable, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and price targets well above recent trading levels. However, these views largely reflect existing expectations and may provide limited near-term support without new clinical data. Wall Street bull case for Viking Therapeutics
• Negative Sentiment: The quarterly loss widened from $0.58 per share a year earlier to $1.10, as research and development spending increased, while revenue remained essentially nonexistent. Because VKTX has no approved products, valuation is tied mainly to future clinical success and commercialization potential.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares, CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares and COO Marianna Mancini sold 18,217 shares. The transactions were reportedly made to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards, and the executives retained substantial holdings, but the combined sales may still weigh on sentiment. Viking Therapeutics insider transactions

About Viking Therapeutics

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.