Viking Therapeutics(US:VKTX) Jin Rong Jie·2025-08-19 23:52Group 1 - Viking Therapeutics Inc. experienced a significant stock price drop of 42%, resulting in a one-day gain of $521 million for short sellers, reversing earlier losses for the year [1] - The decline was attributed to adverse mid-stage trial results of an experimental oral weight loss drug, with approximately 28% of patients dropping out due to side effects, undermining market expectations of competition with popular injectable weight loss products from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk [1] - Piper Sandler analyst Biren Amin noted that "tolerability issues overshadowed efficacy data," highlighting high rates of nausea and vomiting across all treatment groups in the study [1] Group 2 - Despite the stock price drop, nearly 90% of analysts maintain a "buy" rating for Viking Therapeutics, with an average target price of around $90, indicating over three times potential upside from current trading levels [2] - Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Jay Olson described the stock's weakness as a buying opportunity, suggesting that market concerns regarding tolerability issues are exaggerated, while reiterating a "outperform" rating and a target price of $100 [2]