It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX). Shares have added about 2.3% in that time frame, underperforming the S&P 500.
Will the recent positive trend continue leading up to its next earnings release, or is Viking Therapeutics due for a pullback? Well, first let's take a quick look at the latest earnings report in order to get a better handle on the recent catalysts for Viking Therapeutics, Inc. before we dive into how investors and analysts have reacted as of late.
Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates Despite Surge in R&D Costs
Viking reported a second-quarter 2026 loss of $1.10 per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $1.21. The reported loss, however, widened from a loss of 58 cents per share in the year-ago quarter due to higher operating expenses.
Currently, Viking does not have any approved products in its portfolio. It has yet to generate revenues.
Operating Costs Rise on Pipeline Work
Research and development expenses surged 92.4% year over year to $115.8 million. The rise primarily reflected higher spending on clinical studies, salaries and benefits, stock-based compensation and third-party consultants.
General and administrative expenses climbed 16.8% to $16.8 million. Higher consultant, legal and patent-service costs, salaries and benefits were partly offset by lower stock-based compensation.
VKTX Retains Cash Runway Into 2028
Viking ended the June quarter with $502 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments compared with $603 million at the end of first-quarter 2026.
Management described the current period as the heaviest phase of cash usage for the VANQUISH studies. It expects spending to taper and reiterated that existing resources should fund operations into 2028.
How Have Estimates Been Moving Since Then?
Since the earnings release, investors have witnessed a upward trend in estimates revision.
The consensus estimate has shifted 8.26% due to these changes.
VGM Scores
At this time, Viking Therapeutics has a poor Growth Score of F, however its Momentum Score is doing a lot better with an A. However, the stock was allocated a score of D on the value side, putting it in the bottom 40% for value investors.
Overall, the stock has an aggregate VGM Score of D. If you aren't focused on one strategy, this score is the one you should be interested in.
Outlook
Estimates have been broadly trending upward for the stock, and the magnitude of these revisions looks promising. Interestingly, Viking Therapeutics has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). We expect an in-line return from the stock in the next few months.
Performance of an Industry Player
Viking Therapeutics belongs to the Zacks Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry. Another stock from the same industry, Repligen (RGEN), has gained 26.8% over the past month. More than a month has passed since the company reported results for the quarter ended June 2026.
Repligen reported revenues of $204.13 million in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +11.9%. EPS of $0.54 for the same period compares with $0.37 a year ago.
For the current quarter, Repligen is expected to post earnings of $0.46 per share, indicating no change from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +1.2% over the last 30 days.
The overall direction and magnitude of estimate revisions translate into a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) for Repligen. Also, the stock has a VGM Score of F.
Beyond Nvidia: AI's Second Wave Is Here
The AI revolution has already minted millionaires. But the stocks everyone knows about aren't likely to keep delivering the biggest profits. AI’s second wave is moving from infrastructure to implementation and these companies are at the forefront of this transition, positioned to become what Amazon and Google were to the internet era.
See Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX): Free Stock Analysis Report
Repligen Corporation (RGEN): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).