Lewis Asset Management LLC Has $1.66 Million Holdings in Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)

Lewis Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX) by 35.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,275 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 10,880 shares during the period. Viking Therapeutics comprises approximately 1.3% of Lewis Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Lewis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $1,661,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Ridge Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $837,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 43.5% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 102,324 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,478,000 after purchasing an additional 31,011 shares during the period. Nvwm LLC acquired a new stake in Viking Therapeutics in the third quarter valued at $999,000. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 88.0% during the third quarter. Chartwell Investment Partners LLC now owns 36,666 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,322,000 after acquiring an additional 17,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Viking Therapeutics by 92.1% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 131,348 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,316,000 after acquiring an additional 62,956 shares during the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viking Therapeutics Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ VKTX opened at $33.43 on Thursday. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $22.51 and a fifty-two week high of $99.41. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, January 17th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. StockNews.com raised shares of Viking Therapeutics to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. B. Riley assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $109.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.75.

Insider Activity at Viking Therapeutics

In other Viking Therapeutics news, Director Lawson Macartney sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.67, for a total value of $137,340.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 47,965 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,293,756.55. This trade represents a 4.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brian Lian sold 194,490 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.75, for a total transaction of $8,314,447.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,366,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $101,170,867.50. This trade represents a 7.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 301,014 shares of company stock valued at $12,920,189. 4.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.