Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX Shares Sold by Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. reduced its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 84.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,169 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 87,377 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $425,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 14,961 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 326 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 58.4% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 955 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. grew its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 6.1% during the second quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 6,220 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 0.9% during the second quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 44,060 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,168,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 2.4% in the second quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 17,580 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $466,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VKTX shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $106.00 to $107.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $80.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.14.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $37.18 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $36.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.01. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $18.92 and a 1-year high of $43.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.54 and a beta of 0.65.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.81) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.67) by ($0.14). The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.22) EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Marianna Mancini sold 6,185 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total transaction of $216,475.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 382,467 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,386,345. This represents a 1.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Greg Zante sold 6,185 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.00, for a total value of $216,475.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,592 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,075,720. This trade represents a 3.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 111,359 shares of company stock valued at $3,932,155 over the last three months. 4.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.