Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Raises Holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 18.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 930,370 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 143,675 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP owned about 0.83% of Viking Therapeutics worth $58,902,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VKTX. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Viking Therapeutics during the first quarter worth approximately $327,000. American International Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 50,466 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,672 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the 1st quarter valued at $262,000. BOKF NA acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics during the 1st quarter worth $985,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Viking Therapeutics by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 61,417 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,037,000 after purchasing an additional 6,181 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ VKTX opened at $52.59 on Monday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a one year low of $11.55 and a one year high of $99.41. The company’s fifty day moving average is $63.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.25.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The biotechnology company reported ($0.22) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.24) by $0.02. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.23) EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -0.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Viking Therapeutics

In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director J Matthew Singleton sold 10,300 shares of Viking Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.50, for a total transaction of $715,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $660,250. The trade was a 52.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 216,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,304,927 shares in the company, valued at $163,257,979.41. This trade 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 valued at $27,140,009 in the last quarter. 4.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $138.00 target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $80.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Viking Therapeutics from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Viking Therapeutics has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $109.73.

About Viking Therapeutics

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.