Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Stock Has Average Target Price of $99.67 According to Brokerages

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $99.67.

Several research firms recently issued reports on VKTX. Canaccord Genuity Group lifted their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Zacks Research upgraded Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $75.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Key Headlines Impacting Viking Therapeutics

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

• Positive Sentiment: VK2735 data supports the obesity-drug opportunity. Recent updates indicate that weight loss from Viking’s candidate may persist after treatment, an important potential differentiator as the company advances its weight-loss programs into late-stage trials. Viking Therapeutics Soared After Its Latest GLP-1 Data
• Positive Sentiment: Additional funding improves financial flexibility. Viking priced an upsized $500 million financing consisting of 7.86 million common shares sold at $35 each and $225 million of 2.00% convertible senior notes due 2032. The proceeds should help fund clinical development and corporate operations without an immediate need for another raise. Viking Therapeutics Prices Upsized $500 Million Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains generally constructive but mixed. Leerink Partners maintained a Buy rating, while Goldman Sachs maintained a Hold rating. The broader analyst consensus is reported as Moderate Buy, suggesting optimism about Viking’s pipeline but continued valuation and execution concerns. Leerink Partners Sticks to Their Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading activity has been unusually high. Heavy share volume and a sharp increase in call-option activity show elevated investor interest, but these indicators reflect positioning and volatility rather than a clear change in Viking’s fundamentals. Viking Therapeutics Sees Strong Trading Volume
• Negative Sentiment: The equity offering creates dilution and was priced at a substantial discount. The common stock was issued at $35, below the prior market price, and the convertible notes could create additional dilution if converted. The upsized raise therefore pressured the shares despite the company’s promising drug data. Why Is Viking Therapeutics Stock Trading Down Thursday?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain focused on execution risk. Viking is still a clinical-stage biotechnology company with no established commercial revenue, meaning its valuation depends heavily on successful trials, regulatory approval and eventual competition with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $35.56 on Friday. Viking Therapeutics has a 52-week low of $24.88 and a 52-week high of $43.15. The company has a 50 day moving average of $33.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.58. The company has a market capitalization of $4.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.63 and a beta of 0.69.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.21) by $0.11. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.58) EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Viking Therapeutics will post -4.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,572,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,713,734.12. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, COO Marianna Mancini sold 18,217 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,149,777.20. This represents a 4.13% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 187,951 shares of company stock worth $6,268,442. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 59,900.0% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 2,400 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 2,396 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,532,000. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,823,000. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 142,790 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,570,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 3.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 16,533 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $645,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

About Viking Therapeutics

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company’s research programs target conditions including obesity, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), dyslipidemia and other disorders involving hormone regulation and metabolism.

Viking’s lead program is VK2735, an investigational dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors being developed in injectable and oral formulations for obesity and related metabolic conditions.