Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Purchases New Position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 134,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,732,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac owned about 0.12% of Viking Therapeutics as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,092,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $55,000,000 after buying an additional 616,526 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 58.7% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,085,487 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,807,000 after buying an additional 771,704 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 24.0% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,994,509 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $70,183,000 after buying an additional 385,903 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 16.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 954,272 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,078,000 after buying an additional 131,994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 6,315.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 596,650 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $15,811,000 after buying an additional 587,350 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, insider Neil William Aubuchon purchased 4,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $33.50 per share, with a total value of $149,912.50. Following the acquisition, the insider owned 4,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $149,912.50. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of Viking Therapeutics stock opened at $32.19 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $32.61 and a 200-day moving average of $33.48. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1-year low of $22.96 and a 1-year high of $43.15. The company has a market cap of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of -7.78 and a beta of 0.72.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.37) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.01) by ($0.36). During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.41) EPS. Research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VKTX. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Truist Financial began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $83.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.60.

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.