Viking Therapeutics, Inc. $VKTX Position Cut by Royal Bank of Canada

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 8th, 2026

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX – Free Report) by 12.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 397,968 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 57,450 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in Viking Therapeutics were worth $12,951,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VKTX. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Viking Therapeutics by 536.3% in the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 992,695 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,923,000 after purchasing an additional 836,686 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 58.7% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,085,487 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $54,807,000 after buying an additional 771,704 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 41.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 2,092,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $55,000,000 after acquiring an additional 616,526 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 6,315.6% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 596,650 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $15,811,000 after acquiring an additional 587,350 shares during the period. Finally, Artia Global Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 392.1% in the fourth quarter. Artia Global Partners LP now owns 719,365 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,307,000 after acquiring an additional 573,186 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Trading Up 2.9%

NASDAQ:VKTX opened at $34.26 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $34.33 and a 200-day moving average of $32.99. The firm has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.35 and a beta of 0.69. Viking Therapeutics, Inc. has a twelve month low of $22.96 and a twelve month high of $43.15.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.21) by $0.11. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.58) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Brian Lian sold 148,517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total transaction of $4,948,586.44. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,572,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $85,713,734.12. This trade represents a 5.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO Greg Zante sold 21,217 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 212,204 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,102,467.88. This represents a 9.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 187,951 shares of company stock worth $6,268,442. 5.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VKTX shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group increased their price target on Viking Therapeutics from $107.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Lake Street Capital assumed coverage on Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $89.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Viking Therapeutics from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.88.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on VKTX

Viking Therapeutics Profile

(Free Report)

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.