Viking Therapeutics

VKTX · NASDAQ

$26.71+$1.66 (+6.63%)TodayMarket closed · Oct 20, 7:59 PM ET

Prev close $25.05

VKTX analyst rating

BuyConsensus of 8 analysts over the last 12 months. 100% rate it a buy.

Strong buy0
Buy8
Hold0
Underperform0
Sell0

12-month price target · 20 analysts

Average $99.42 (+272.2% upside)

Low: $38.38
Now: $26.71
High: $131.25

Upgrades and downgrades

The latest rating actions, newest first

VKTX analyst upgrades, downgrades and rating actions
Firm	Date	Action	Rating	Price target	Hit rate
Canaccord Genuity	Oct 20, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$114.00 → $106.00	44%
UBS	Oct 15, 2026	Initiates	Buy	$94.00	69%
Truist Securities	Oct 7, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$87.00 → $85.00	69%
Truist Securities	Sep 23, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$83.00 → $87.00	69%
JP Morgan	Aug 11, 2026	Maintains	Overweight	$75.00 → $65.00	0%
Canaccord Genuity	Jul 30, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$107.00 → $114.00	44%
Lake Street	May 28, 2026	Initiates	Buy	$89.00	14%
BTIG	May 1, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$125.00	54%
Cantor Fitzgerald	Apr 30, 2026	Maintains	Overweight	$105.00 → $100.00	39%
HC Wainwright & Co.	Mar 23, 2026	Maintains	Buy	$102.00	40%

The case for and against

Updated Oct 17, 2026

Bull case

Viking Therapeutics is supported by a pipeline that is increasingly de-risked by strong clinical signals, including VK2735’s 17.8% induction weight loss at 17.5mg and up to 21.7% by week 33 with no plateau, while step-down maintenance preserved up to 97% of induction loss and showed placebo-like tolerability. The company’s broader obesity and metabolic franchise also appears differentiated through both subcutaneous and oral formulations, with management and analysts highlighting competitive efficacy, cleaner GI profile, and meaningful headroom for phase 3 dose optimization. Financially, Viking reported 1Q26 EPS of ($1.37) versus consensus of ($0.98), but its $603M cash balance is expected to fund operations into 2028, supporting continued development across the pipeline.

Bear case

Viking Therapeutics is viewed negatively because its valuation depends heavily on a crowded obesity market where clinical comparisons, such as to Lilly’s ATTAIN-MAINTAIN, leave limited room for differentiation and investors are already questioning how much credit is deserved for VK2809 and VK0214 versus VK2735. The company also faces substantial fundamental risk from concentration in a few pipeline assets, ongoing clinical and regulatory uncertainty, manufacturing and commercialization hurdles, and financial obligations under the May 2014 Ligand agreement that could reach up to $75.0M per indication in milestones plus low-to-mid single-digit royalties. With added exposure to liquidity, partnership, legal, intellectual property, macroeconomic, and geopolitical risks, the stock’s downside profile appears tied to execution rather than proven commercial strength.

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