Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX) Shares Break Below 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Posted by Francis Steltz on Oct 14th, 2026

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX – Get Free Report)’s share price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $32.77 and traded as low as $27.91. Viking Therapeutics shares last traded at $28.34, with a volume of 2,851,609 shares changing hands.

Viking Therapeutics News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking Therapeutics this week:

Positive Sentiment: Oral VK2735 enters Phase 3: Viking launched the SUNRISE Phase 3 program to evaluate VK2735, an oral dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist, in adults with obesity. SUNRISE-1 will study obese adults without type 2 diabetes, while SUNRISE-2 will include patients with type 2 diabetes. The move brings Viking closer to potentially competing in the large obesity-drug market. Viking Therapeutics Announces Initiation of VK2735 Oral Phase 3 Clinical Program
Positive Sentiment: Encouraging mid-stage results support the program: Earlier Phase 2 testing reportedly produced weight reductions of as much as 12.2% after 13 weeks, giving investors a favorable efficacy signal as the oral formulation moves into larger confirmatory studies. Viking is also developing subcutaneous VK2735, providing multiple potential formulations. Viking’s Key Obesity Pill Enters Phase 3 Trial
Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Wall Street ratings and recommendations continue to lean optimistic, which may provide some support for VKTX while investors await Phase 3 progress and results. Wall Street Bulls Look Optimistic About Viking Therapeutics
Neutral Sentiment: Key catalysts remain ahead: Viking has also begun an exploratory oral maintenance-dosing study. Phase 3 enrollment, safety data and eventual efficacy readouts will be important in determining whether the current promise translates into a commercially viable obesity treatment. Viking Therapeutics Stock Dropped, So What Is Driving Attention Now?
Negative Sentiment: Recent momentum has weakened: VKTX has fallen roughly 6% over the past week, 17% over the past month and about 25% year to date, indicating that investors may be taking a cautious stance despite the Phase 3 announcement. The company remains clinical-stage, loss-making and exposed to substantial trial and regulatory risk.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VKTX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Viking Therapeutics from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer set a $120.00 price target on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Viking Therapeutics in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $99.44.

Get Our Latest Report on VKTX

Viking Therapeutics Trading Down 4.4%

The company has a market cap of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of -5.47 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $32.64 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.19.

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VKTX – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The biotechnology company reported ($1.10) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.21) by $0.11. Viking Therapeutics’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.58) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Viking Therapeutics, Inc. will post -4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Marianna Mancini sold 18,217 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total transaction of $609,722.99. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 422,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,149,777.20. The trade was a 4.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.47, for a total transaction of $710,132.99. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 212,204 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 187,951 shares of company stock worth $6,268,442. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking Therapeutics

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cornerstone Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Viking Therapeutics during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,334,000. Timothy G. Youngquist 2020 Irrevocable Trust boosted its position in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 141.6% in the 2nd quarter. Timothy G. Youngquist 2020 Irrevocable Trust now owns 271,849 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $10,605,000 after purchasing an additional 159,349 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $241,458,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics by 18.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 542,516 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $17,653,000 after buying an additional 82,941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viking Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,783,000. Institutional investors own 76.03% of the company’s stock.

Viking Therapeutics Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Viking Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company’s research programs are aimed at conditions including obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and other diseases involving the liver and metabolism.

Viking’s leading program is VK2735, an investigational dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors.