Insider Selling: Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) CEO Sells $4,948,586.44 in Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares of Viking Therapeutics 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,572,441 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,713,734.12. This represents a 5.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Down 4.1%

NASDAQ VKTX opened at $31.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.81 and a beta of 0.66. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.96 and a 52-week high of $43.15. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $34.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.97.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.21) by $0.11. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.58) EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 945 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 169.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,077 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lodestone Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Viking reported a second-quarter loss of $1.10 per share, better than the $1.21 loss analysts expected. The company also said its Phase 3 VANQUISH 1 and VANQUISH 2 studies of injectable VK2735 are fully enrolled, while a Phase 3 study of oral VK2735 is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. VKTX Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management believes oral VK2735 could offer a differentiated option in the obesity market, potentially becoming the first oral dual GLP-1 agonist to reach the market. Investors are also awaiting maintenance-dosing data and additional clinical updates. VK2735 obesity pipeline update
• Positive Sentiment: Viking ended the quarter with approximately $502 million in cash and equivalents, providing funding for ongoing development. Canaccord Genuity also raised its price target from $107 to $114 and maintained a Buy rating. Canaccord price-target update
• Neutral Sentiment: The company registered a $500 million shelf offering. The financing would support VK2735 development and potential commercialization, but it also creates the possibility of share issuance and dilution. VKTX shelf registration article
• Negative Sentiment: Viking’s second-quarter net loss widened to $128.1 million from $0.58 per share a year earlier, driven by sharply higher R&D spending as its clinical pipeline expands. The company remains pre-revenue, leaving the stock dependent on future trial results and regulatory progress. Viking Q2 net-loss article
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brian Lian, CFO Greg Zante and COO Marianna Mancini sold shares totaling roughly $6.3 million, although the filings said the transactions covered tax withholding from vested equity awards. The sales may nevertheless add short-term pressure. VKTX insider-sales report

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VKTX shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $83.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.88.

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.