SAN DIEGO—Marianna Mancini, the Chief Operating Officer of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:), recently sold shares amounting to approximately $2.3 million, according to a recent SEC filing. The transactions took place on January 6, 2025, involving a total of 54,215 shares at prices ranging from $42.6893 to $43.3165 per share. The sale comes as Viking’s stock has delivered an impressive 133% return over the past year, with the company now commanding a market capitalization of $4.73 billion.
The stock sales were executed to meet tax obligations linked to the vesting of restricted stock units and performance-restricted stock awards. Following these transactions, Mancini retains direct ownership of 374,134 shares of Viking Therapeutics.
In addition to the sales, Mancini acquired a total of 66,200 shares on January 3, 2025. These acquisitions were made at no cost as part of restricted stock unit awards and stock options under the company’s equity incentive plan.
Viking Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, focused on developing therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders. The company maintains a “Good” financial health score according to InvestingPro, which offers comprehensive analysis and 10+ additional ProTips for Viking Therapeutics in its detailed Pro Research Report.
In other recent news, Viking Therapeutics has been making significant strides in the pharmaceutical industry. The company’s VK2735 program for obesity and type 2 diabetes showed promising results in both Phase II and Phase I trials, according to B.Riley, which recently initiated coverage on Viking with a Buy rating. This was echoed by Laidlaw, Jefferies, and BTIG, all of which have maintained their Buy ratings for the company.
In addition, the company’s VK2809 drug, developed for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has shown significant reductions in liver fat content and improvements in fibrosis from its Phase 2b clinical trial. Furthermore, Viking Therapeutics experienced a boost following the disappointing trial results of Novo Nordisk (NYSE:)’s obesity drug, CagriSema, which led to a shift in investor focus to competitors like Viking.
However, the company’s shares fell following the announcement of a licensing agreement between Hansoh Pharma and Merck (NS:), which introduced a potential competitor to Viking’s metabolic disorder candidate, VK2735. Despite this, analysts from Piper Sandler and B.Riley have given Viking an Overweight and Buy rating respectively, highlighting the potential of VK2735 in the obesity treatment market. These are among the recent developments that underscore Viking Therapeutics’ progress in the field of obesity and metabolic disorder medication development.
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