Royal Fund Management LLC Has $683,000 Stock Position in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX

Royal Fund Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 51.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,976 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 22,176 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $683,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VKTX. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 536.3% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 992,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $34,923,000 after purchasing an additional 836,686 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,085,487 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $54,807,000 after buying an additional 771,704 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of 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. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC grew its position in shares of 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. Finally, Artia Global Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 392.1% in the fourth quarter. Artia Global Partners LP now owns 719,365 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,307,000 after buying an additional 573,186 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking Therapeutics

In other news, CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total value of $710,132.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 212,204 shares in the company, valued at $7,102,467.88. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total transaction of $4,948,586.44. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,572,441 shares in the company, valued at $85,713,734.12. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 187,951 shares of company stock valued at $6,268,442. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $33.11 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.11 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day moving average is $34.15 and its 200-day moving average is $32.98. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 1 year low of $22.96 and a 1 year high of $43.15.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.11. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.58) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VKTX. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price objective on Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.88.

More Viking Therapeutics News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viking beat second-quarter loss expectations, reporting an adjusted loss of $1.10 per share versus the $1.21 consensus estimate. The result provides some support, although the loss was wider than the $0.58 per-share loss recorded a year earlier. VKTX Q2 earnings beat estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The Phase 3 VANQUISH 1 and 2 studies of injectable VK2735 for obesity are fully enrolled and advancing. Viking expects to begin a Phase 3 study of oral VK2735 in the fourth quarter of 2026 and release maintenance-dosing data in the third quarter, creating potential catalysts for the stock. Viking Q2 corporate update
• Positive Sentiment: Canaccord Genuity raised its VKTX price target to $114 from $107 and maintained a “buy” rating. The bullish view reflects expectations for substantial value if VK2735 succeeds in the competitive obesity market.
• Positive Sentiment: Viking ended the quarter with approximately $502 million in cash, while its Phase 1 study of amylin agonist VK3019 is underway. The cash balance gives the company additional funding for clinical development. Viking second-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: The CEO, CFO and COO sold shares to cover tax withholding obligations related to vested equity awards. The transactions reduced their holdings, but the stated purpose makes them less indicative of a negative view of VKTX’s prospects. Viking insider transactions
• Negative Sentiment: Net loss widened to $128.1 million as research and development spending surged to support the expanding pipeline. Viking has essentially no revenue, so investors remain dependent on future clinical success rather than current operating performance. Viking Q2 net loss
• Negative Sentiment: The company launched a $500 million shelf-registration program to fund VK2735’s development and potential commercialization. While it improves financial flexibility, any future share issuance could dilute existing shareholders. VKTX shelf registration

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.