Brian Lian Sells 148,517 Shares of Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total transaction of $4,948,586.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,572,441 shares in the company, valued at $85,713,734.12. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Viking Therapeutics stock opened at $33.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a PE ratio of -7.11 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $34.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $32.98. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $43.15.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.11. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.58) earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 536.3% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 992,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,923,000 after purchasing an additional 836,686 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $54,807,000 after purchasing an additional 771,704 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 41.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,092,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $55,000,000 after purchasing an additional 616,526 shares during the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 6,315.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 596,650 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $15,811,000 after purchasing an additional 587,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artia Global Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 392.1% in the 4th quarter. Artia Global Partners LP now owns 719,365 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,307,000 after purchasing an additional 573,186 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

More Viking Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viking beat second-quarter loss expectations, reporting an adjusted loss of $1.10 per share versus the $1.21 consensus estimate. The result provides some support, although the loss was wider than the $0.58 per-share loss recorded a year earlier. VKTX Q2 earnings beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The Phase 3 VANQUISH 1 and 2 studies of injectable VK2735 for obesity are fully enrolled and advancing. Viking expects to begin a Phase 3 study of oral VK2735 in the fourth quarter of 2026 and release maintenance-dosing data in the third quarter, creating potential catalysts for the stock. Viking Q2 corporate update
• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity raised its VKTX price target to $114 from $107 and maintained a “buy” rating. The bullish view reflects expectations for substantial value if VK2735 succeeds in the competitive obesity market.
• Positive Sentiment: Viking ended the quarter with approximately $502 million in cash, while its Phase 1 study of amylin agonist VK3019 is underway. The cash balance gives the company additional funding for clinical development. Viking second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: The CEO, CFO and COO sold shares to cover tax withholding obligations related to vested equity awards. The transactions reduced their holdings, but the stated purpose makes them less indicative of a negative view of VKTX’s prospects. Viking insider transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Net loss widened to $128.1 million as research and development spending surged to support the expanding pipeline. Viking has essentially no revenue, so investors remain dependent on future clinical success rather than current operating performance. Viking Q2 net loss
• Negative Sentiment: The company launched a $500 million shelf-registration program to fund VK2735’s development and potential commercialization. While it improves financial flexibility, any future share issuance could dilute existing shareholders. VKTX shelf registration

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on VKTX shares. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $83.00 target price on the stock. Lake Street Capital started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $89.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.88.

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.