The weight-loss drug market has exploded over the past year, fueled by blockbuster GLP-1 breakthroughs from pharma giants. With projections calling for the global weight-loss drug market to expand at an astonishing 43.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2024 to 2032, the niche is transforming into one of the most high-stakes and lucrative arenas in healthcare.
As the appetite for the next game-changing weight-loss solutions skyrockets, pharmaceutical companies are locked in fierce competition to deliver breakthrough treatments. Amidst this high-stakes race, Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) has emerged as a rising contender, ready to challenge the dominance of industry heavyweights like Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) in this rapidly expanding market.
As retail investors flock to Viking Therapeutics, the biotech firm is also catching the eye of billionaire fund managers like Jeff Yass and Israel Englander. During Q2, Yass ramped up his fund’s stake in VKTX stock by 1.1 million shares, while Englander’s fund snapped up 326,000 shares.
With the excitement around VKTX stock growing, analysts at JPMorgan recently advised investors to scoop up the stock before a November catalyst event, anticipating even greater gains ahead.
About Viking Therapeutics Stock
Founded in 2012, San Diego-based Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) is a cutting-edge clinical-stage biopharma company that is advancing a range of innovative therapies targeting metabolic and endocrine disorders.
Leading the charge is VK2735, a dual GLP-1/GIP agonist for obesity, which has demonstrated strong safety and clinical benefits in early trials, with both injectable and oral formulations under development. The company also recently completed Phase 2 trials on VK2809, an oral drug for treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis.
With a focus on game-changing therapies and a strong pipeline, Viking is positioning itself as a key player in the biotech world. Valued at a market cap of around $7.6 billion, this innovative biotech firm has exploded higher in 2024, largely thanks to optimism over the possibilities for its oral weight-loss formulation.
Shares of Viking have delivered stunning returns of roughly 421.9% over the past year and 278.3% on a YTD basis, even as the shares trade down about 31.4% from their year to date highs, set in February.
A Dig Into Viking’s Q2 Financials
Viking Therapeutics sparked excitement with its Q2 update, which sent its shares soaring over 28% on July 25. The pre-revenue company reported a narrower-than-forecast loss of $0.20 per share, which rose slightly from the year ago period on higher research and development expenses.
During the quarter, R&D expenses hit $23.8 million, up from $13.9 million during the same period last year. The company wrapped up the quarter with a strong balance sheet, with $942 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, up from just $362 million as of Dec. 31, 2023.
This cash cushion should support Viking’s cash burn for long enough to achieve critical milestones across its diverse pipeline. With this solid foundation, Viking appears well-positioned for exciting growth as it continues to drive innovation and transform the future of metabolic health.
Viking’s Advancements in Weight Loss Drug Arena
In Q1, Viking achieved remarkable milestones with its weight-loss drug candidate VK2735, positioning itself to challenge the dominance of industry titans like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly in the obesity market. While Lilly and Novo offer injectable GLP-1 treatments, enthusiasm around Viking’s offering centers around its oral formulation, which is expected to receive a warmer reception from patients.
In the Phase 2 VENTURE study released in February, VK2735 demonstrated impressive results, with patients losing up to 15% of their body mass in just 13 weeks, well ahead of the year-long timelines seen with current therapies.
This remarkable finding established Viking's obesity option as a serious contender against blockbuster obesity medications like Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound, signaling a potential shift in the competitive landscape. Following the impressive results from its Phase 2 trials, analysts anticipated a Phase 2b trial for VK2735.
However, in its Q2 earnings release, management announced a game-changing decision. After talks with FDA officials, management revealed that VK2735 would skip straight to Phase 3 and is preparing for an end-of-Phase 2 meeting by the conclusion of this year. This groundbreaking announcement ignited massive attention from investors in the aftermath of the Q2 earnings release.
Adding to the momentum, management also revealed that the Phase 1 trial of the oral tablet formulation of VK2735 showed encouraging safety and clinical activity, with participants losing an average of 5.3% of their weight in just 28 days of daily dosing. Plus, the Phase 2 trial for this formulation is expected to be launched in the final quarter of this year.
What Do Analysts Expect for Viking Stock?
Shares of Viking rallied 11.3% on Sep. 11 after JPMorgan launched coverage with an “Overweight” rating on VKTX stock. With an upcoming early-stage trial readout for the company’s oral obesity therapy VK2735 set for early November at Obesity Week in San Antonio, analyst Hardik Parikh placed Viking under a positive catalyst watch.
“We recommend being long into the upcoming readout for oral-2735, which we think should lead to substantial up move for shares,” wrote Parikh, who thinks Viking can capture roughly 10% of the oral obesity drug market. He set an $80 price target for the shares.
Overall, Wall Street has a unanimous “Strong Buy” rating on the biotech stock, with all 12 analysts in coverage giving VKTX their highest recommendation.
The average analyst price target is $110.82, indicating expected upside potential of 56.7% from current levels.
On the date of publication, Anushka Mukherji did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
