Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) CFO Sells $710,132.99 in Stock

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total value of $710,132.99. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 212,204 shares in the company, valued at $7,102,467.88. The trade was a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

Viking Therapeutics Price Performance

VKTX stock opened at $31.74 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $34.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.97. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.96 and a fifty-two week high of $43.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.81 and a beta of 0.66.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.11. The business’s revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.58) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about Viking Therapeutics

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 21.6% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 43,400 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,693,000 after acquiring an additional 7,700 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the second quarter worth about $341,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. PVG Asset Management Corp raised its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 69.7% during the 1st quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp now owns 19,853 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $588,000 after purchasing an additional 8,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 32.6% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 14,020 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 3,447 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on VKTX shares. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Viking Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Truist Financial initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. They set a “buy” rating and a $83.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Viking Therapeutics has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.88.

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.