Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) COO Sells $2,317,691.25 in Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) COO Marianna Mancini sold 54,215 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total value of $2,317,691.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 374,134 shares in the company, valued at $15,994,228.50. This represents a 12.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 2.5 %

NASDAQ VKTX opened at $40.60 on Thursday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.15 and a twelve month high of $99.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $50.68 and a 200 day moving average of $56.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -43.66 and a beta of 0.95.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.23) EPS. Equities analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VKTX. Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 124.6% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 66.7% in the third quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 84.3% in the third quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 553 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VKTX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $80.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $102.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $138.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. B. Riley began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, November 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $109.00 price target on the stock. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.75.

About Viking Therapeutics

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.