Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX)Healthcare | Biotechnology | San Diego, United States | NasdaqCM
32.16 USD
-1.70
(-5.021%) ⇩
(Aug. 28, 2026, 4 p.m.
EDT)
After hours: 32.24 +0.08 (0.249%) ⇧ (Aug. 28, 2026, 7:57 p.m. EDT) |
Hot Take ↕ | Aug. 22, 2026, 3:10 a.m. EDT
Viking Therapeutics presents a classic biotech dilemma: exceptional long-term potential weighed against immediate execution risk. The company sits on a fortress balance sheet with negligible debt and massive cash reserves, allowing it to weather the storm of R&D without dilution fears. Fundamentally, the business is a winner; the market has rewarded it handsomely over the last decade, though the stock recently corrected nearly 60% year-over-year. However, the lack of dividends and negative earnings reflect the reality of a pre-revenue drug development stage. The short-term outlook is murky due to the upcoming earnings report. While analysts see massive upside, the options chain screams volatility, with heavy bets placed on both a moonshot rally and a catastrophic drop. This suggests the market is pricing in a binary outcome rather than a steady climb. For investors, the thesis is clear: this is a speculative vehicle for a potential blockbuster drug, not a stable income play. The recent insider selling adds a layer of caution, but given the company's cash pile, it likely represents portfolio rebalancing rather than a flight to safety. Hold for the catalyst, but manage risk tightly. |
| Model | MAE |
|---|---|
| AutoARIMA ✓ | 0.071452 |
| AutoETS | 0.071453 |
| AutoTheta | 0.071518 |
| MSTL | 0.076639 |
Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: AutoARIMA
| Forecast Reliability | |
|---|---|
| Score | 40% |
| H-stat | 2.62 |
| Ljung-Box p | 0.000 |
| Jarque-Bera p | 0.194 |
| Excess Kurtosis | -0.78 |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Debt to Equity Ratio | 1.001 |
| Market Cap | 3,751,558,400 |
| Forward P/E | -7.45 |
| Beta | 0.69 |
| Website | https://www.vikingtherapeutics.com |
As of Aug. 22, 2026, 3:10 a.m. EDT: Speculators are positioning for significant volatility rather than a specific directional outcome. Call volume is heavily skewed toward out-of-the-money strikes (45, 60, 47.5), indicating a bet on a sharp spike, while put volume concentrates deeply in-the-money (22.5, 25.0), suggesting a hedge against a crash. The massive open interest at deep OTM calls combined with deep ITM puts creates a 'straddle' environment where traders expect a binary event—likely related to the upcoming earnings report—to drive the price far in either direction.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| 52 Week Change | 0.23172057 |
| Address1 | 9,920 Pacific Heights Boulevard |
| Address2 | Suite 350 |
| All Time High | 99.41 |
| All Time Low | 0.88 |
| Ask | 33.84 |
| Ask Size | 1 |
| Audit Risk | 7 |
| Average Analyst Rating | 1.5 - Strong Buy |
| Average Daily Volume10 Day | 1,694,890 |
| Average Daily Volume3 Month | 2,272,022 |
| Average Volume | 2,272,022 |
| Average Volume10Days | 1,694,890 |
| Beta | 0.685 |
| Bid | 30.74 |
| Bid Size | 1 |
| Board Risk | 9 |
| Book Value | 3.5 |
| City | San Diego |
| Compensation As Of Epoch Date | 1,767,139,200 |
| Compensation Risk | 10 |
| Country | United States |
| Crypto Tradeable | 0 |
| Currency | USD |
| Current Price | 32.16 |
| Current Ratio | 4.72 |
| Custom Price Alert Confidence | HIGH |
| Date Short Interest | 1,786,665,600 |
| Day High | 33.86 |
| Day Low | 32.0 |
| Debt To Equity | 1.001 |
| Display Name | Viking Therapeutics |
| Earnings Call Timestamp End | 1,785,355,200 |
| Earnings Call Timestamp Start | 1,785,355,200 |
| Earnings Timestamp | 1,785,355,200 |
| Earnings Timestamp End | 1,793,217,600 |
| Earnings Timestamp Start | 1,793,217,600 |
| Ebitda Margins | 0.0 |
| Enterprise Value | 3,253,981,440 |
| Eps Current Year | -4.60557 |
| Eps Forward | -4.31946 |
| Eps Trailing Twelve Months | -4.43 |
| Esg Populated | 0 |
| Exchange | NCM |
| Exchange Data Delayed By | 0 |
| Exchange Timezone Name | America/New_York |
| Exchange Timezone Short Name | EDT |
| Fifty Day Average | 35.4616 |
| Fifty Day Average Change | -3.3016014 |
| Fifty Day Average Change Percent | -0.093103565 |
| Fifty Two Week Change Percent | 23.172056 |
| Fifty Two Week High | 43.15 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change | -10.990002 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change Percent | -0.25469297 |
| Fifty Two Week Low | 22.959 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change | 9.201 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent | 0.40075788 |
| Fifty Two Week Range | 22.959 - 43.15 |
| Financial Currency | USD |
| First Trade Date Milliseconds | 1,430,227,800,000 |
| Float Shares | 113,731,947 |
| Forward Eps | -4.31946 |
| Forward P E | -7.4453754 |
| Free Cashflow | -230,792,128 |
| Full Exchange Name | NasdaqCM |
| Full Time Employees | 65 |
| Fullday Change | -1.7 |
| Fullday Change Percent | -5.02068 |
| Fullday Price | 32.24 |
| Gmt Off Set Milliseconds | -14,400,000 |
| Governance Epoch Date | 1,785,542,400 |
| Gross Margins | 0.0 |
| Has Pre Post Market Data | 1 |
| Held Percent Insiders | 0.03095 |
| Held Percent Institutions | 0.66117996 |
| Implied Shares Outstanding | 116,652,937 |
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Industry Disp | Biotechnology |
| Industry Key | biotechnology |
| Is Earnings Date Estimate | 1 |
| Language | en-US |
| Last Fiscal Year End | 1,767,139,200 |
| Long Business Summary | Viking Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. Its 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. The company develops VK5211, an orally available non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator that is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of patients recovering from non-elective hip fracture surgery; VK0612, which is in Phase II clinical trials for metabolic disorders and anemia; VK2735, a novel dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1, which is in Phase 1 SAD/MAD clinical trial, and VK0214, an orally available tissue and receptor-subtype selective agonist of the TRß for X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. The company was incorporated in 2012 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. |
| Long Name | Viking Therapeutics, Inc. |
| Market | us_market |
| Market Cap | 3,751,558,400 |
| Market State | CLOSED |
| Max Age | 86,400 |
| Message Board Id | finmb_246791410 |
| Most Recent Quarter | 1,782,777,600 |
| Net Income To Common | -534,796,000 |
| Next Fiscal Year End | 1,798,675,200 |
| Non Diluted Market Cap | 3,949,868,446 |
| Number Of Analyst Opinions | 19 |
| Open | 33.67 |
| Operating Cashflow | -418,440,992 |
| Operating Margins | 0.0 |
| Overall Risk | 9 |
| Payout Ratio | 0.0 |
| Phone | 858 704 4660 |
| Post Market Change | 0.08000183 |
| Post Market Change Percent | 0.2487619 |
| Post Market Price | 32.24 |
| Post Market Time | 1,787,961,430 |
| Previous Close | 33.86 |
| Price Eps Current Year | -6.982849 |
| Price Hint | 2 |
| Price To Book | 9.188571 |
| Profit Margins | 0.0 |
| Quick Ratio | 4.575 |
| Quote Source Name | Nasdaq Real Time Price |
| Quote Type | EQUITY |
| Recommendation Key | strong_buy |
| Recommendation Mean | 1.45 |
| Region | US |
| Regular Market Change | -1.7 |
| Regular Market Change Percent | -5.02068 |
| Regular Market Day High | 33.86 |
| Regular Market Day Low | 31.98 |
| Regular Market Day Range | 31.98 - 33.86 |
| Regular Market Open | 33.67 |
| Regular Market Previous Close | 33.86 |
| Regular Market Price | 32.16 |
| Regular Market Time | 1,787,947,200 |
| Regular Market Volume | 2,374,486 |
| Return On Assets | -0.51862997 |
| Return On Equity | -0.88852996 |
| Sand P52 Week Change | 0.20504117 |
| Sector | Healthcare |
| Sector Disp | Healthcare |
| Sector Key | healthcare |
| Share Holder Rights Risk | 8 |
| Shares Outstanding | 116,652,937 |
| Shares Percent Shares Out | 0.191 |
| Shares Short | 22,285,459 |
| Shares Short Previous Month Date | 1,784,073,600 |
| Shares Short Prior Month | 23,160,859 |
| Short Name | Viking Therapeutics, Inc. |
| Short Percent Of Float | 0.2019 |
| Short Ratio | 11.73 |
| Source Interval | 15 |
| State | CA |
| Symbol | VKTX |
| Target High Price | 125.0 |
| Target Low Price | 35.0 |
| Target Mean Price | 92.39474 |
| Target Median Price | 95.0 |
| Total Cash | 501,663,008 |
| Total Cash Per Share | 4.3 |
| Total Debt | 4,086,000 |
| Tradeable | 0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Rate | 0.0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Yield | 0.0 |
| Trailing Eps | -4.43 |
| Trailing Peg Ratio | None |
| Triggerable | 1 |
| Two Hundred Day Average | 33.673775 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change | -1.5137749 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent | -0.044954117 |
| Type Disp | Equity |
| Volume | 2,374,486 |
| Website | https://www.vikingtherapeutics.com |
| Zip | 92,121 |