Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Sold by Algert Global LLC

Algert Global LLC trimmed its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,264 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 2,280 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $1,979,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. purchased a new position in Viking Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. purchased a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Viking Therapeutics by 124.6% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 84.3% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 553 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Viking Therapeutics

In related news, CFO Greg Zante sold 131,687 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.61, for a total value of $10,088,541.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 149,366 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,442,929.26. This trade represents a 46.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 216,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.83, for a total transaction of $15,308,487.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,304,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $163,257,979.41. This represents a 8.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 371,117 shares of company stock worth $27,140,009 over the last quarter. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Up 2.0 %

Viking Therapeutics stock opened at $54.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.07 billion, a PE ratio of -58.61 and a beta of 1.00. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.55 and a 52 week high of $99.41. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $63.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.91.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.23) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VKTX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $102.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $138.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, B. Riley assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $109.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.73.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

Viking Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company's lead drug candidate is VK2809, an orally available tissue and receptor-subtype selective agonist of the thyroid hormone receptor beta (TRß), which is in Phase IIb clinical trials to treat patients with biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, as well as NAFLD.