Insider Selling: Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) COO Sells $609,722.99 in Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) COO Marianna Mancini sold 18,217 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 value of $609,722.99. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 422,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,149,777.20. This represents a 4.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

VKTX stock opened at $31.74 on Friday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $22.96 and a one year high of $43.15. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $34.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.97. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a PE ratio of -6.81 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VKTX shares. Zacks Research downgraded Viking Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They set a “buy” rating and a $89.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VKTX. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 21.6% in the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 43,400 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,693,000 after buying an additional 7,700 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $341,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. PVG Asset Management Corp grew its position in Viking Therapeutics by 69.7% in the first quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp now owns 19,853 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $588,000 after acquiring an additional 8,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Viking Therapeutics by 32.6% in the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 14,020 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $456,000 after acquiring an additional 3,447 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Viking Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viking reported a second-quarter loss of $1.10 per share, better than the $1.21 loss analysts expected. The company also said its Phase 3 VANQUISH 1 and VANQUISH 2 studies of injectable VK2735 are fully enrolled, while a Phase 3 study of oral VK2735 is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. VKTX Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management believes oral VK2735 could offer a differentiated option in the obesity market, potentially becoming the first oral dual GLP-1 agonist to reach the market. Investors are also awaiting maintenance-dosing data and additional clinical updates. VK2735 obesity pipeline update
• Positive Sentiment: Viking ended the quarter with approximately $502 million in cash and equivalents, providing funding for ongoing development. Canaccord Genuity also raised its price target from $107 to $114 and maintained a Buy rating. Canaccord price-target update
• Neutral Sentiment: The company registered a $500 million shelf offering. The financing would support VK2735 development and potential commercialization, but it also creates the possibility of share issuance and dilution. VKTX shelf registration article
• Negative Sentiment: Viking’s second-quarter net loss widened to $128.1 million from $0.58 per share a year earlier, driven by sharply higher R&D spending as its clinical pipeline expands. The company remains pre-revenue, leaving the stock dependent on future trial results and regulatory progress. Viking Q2 net-loss article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brian Lian, CFO Greg Zante and COO Marianna Mancini sold shares totaling roughly $6.3 million, although the filings said the transactions covered tax withholding from vested equity awards. The sales may nevertheless add short-term pressure. VKTX insider-sales report

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.