Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Reduces Holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. lessened its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 69.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,984 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 100,573 shares during the quarter. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A.’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $1,431,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Inspire Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 15,726 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $512,000 after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 94.4% in the 1st quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 3,058 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 1,485 shares during the period. Lewis Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Lewis Asset Management LLC now owns 64,090 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after buying an additional 2,200 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 89.3% in the first quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 313,158 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $10,190,000 after buying an additional 147,752 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grey Ledge Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at about $251,000. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Cantor Fitzgerald decreased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $102.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, March 26th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.60.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of VKTX opened at $37.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a PE ratio of -9.04 and a beta of 0.66. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $43.15. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $31.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.69.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.41) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

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.