Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Now Covered by Stifel Nicolaus

Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX – Get Rating) in a research report report published on Thursday, The Fly reports. The firm issued a buy rating and a $22.00 price target on the biotechnology company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on VKTX. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday. They set a sell rating on the stock. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Maxim Group increased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $10.00 to $15.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, December 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $17.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $17.50.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ VKTX opened at $11.83 on Thursday. Viking Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $2.02 and a 12 month high of $11.98. The company’s 50 day moving average is $10.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $6.34.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.03). Equities research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics will post -0.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Laurion Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the second quarter valued at $3,826,000. Cornerstone Capital Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 3.5% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 143,980 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 4,840 shares in the last quarter. PVG Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter worth $163,000. 34.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

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Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which engages in the development of therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company was founded by Brian Lian and Michael A. Dinerman on September 24, 2012 and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.