Royal Fund Management LLC Has $683,000 Stock Holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Royal Fund Management LLC trimmed its position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 51.4% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,976 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 22,176 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 13.0% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 347,716 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,396,000 after acquiring an additional 39,886 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $230,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 1.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 470,028 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $11,351,000 after purchasing an additional 6,696 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $196,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 29.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,109 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $33.11 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.11 and a beta of 0.66. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 12-month low of $22.96 and a 12-month high of $43.15. The business’s 50 day moving average is $34.15 and its 200 day moving average is $32.98.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Viking Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.58) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VKTX has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $83.00 target price for the company. Finally, Lake Street Capital initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $89.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Marianna Mancini sold 18,217 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total value of $609,722.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 422,760 shares in the company, valued at $14,149,777.20. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $7,102,467.88. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold 187,951 shares of company stock valued at $6,268,442 in the last three months. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Viking Therapeutics News Summary

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

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.