VKTX Posts Wider-Than-Expected Loss in Q4, Stock Up on Pipeline Updates

Viking Therapeutics VKTX reported a fourth-quarter 2025 loss of $1.38 per share, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 89 cents. The company had incurred a loss of 32 cents per share in the year-ago quarter.

Currently, Viking Therapeutics does not have any approved products in its portfolio. It has yet to generate revenues.

More on VKTX’s Q4 Earnings

Research and development expenses amounted to $153.5 million compared with $31.0 million incurred in the year-ago period. This significant increase was primarily driven by higher costs associated with clinical studies and increased employee-related expenses.

General and administrative expenses amounted to $11.3 million, down 26% year over year, mainly due to lower costs on legal and patent services.

As of Dec. 31, 2025, Viking Therapeutics had cash and cash equivalents worth $706 million compared with $715 million as of Sept. 30, 2025.

Full-Year 2025 Results

With no marketed products, Viking Therapeutics did not record any revenues during the year.

VKTX reported a loss of $3.19 per share for the full year. In the year-ago period, management reported a loss of $1.01.

VKTX’s Pipeline Updates

Viking Therapeutics is one of the few biotech stocks with immense potential in the obesity space. It is developing VK2735, an investigational novel dual GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonist, in different clinical studies as oral and subcutaneous (SC) versions for treating obesity.

Last year, Viking Therapeutics started a late-stage program evaluating the SC formulation of VK2735 for adults with obesity. This program consists of two phase III studies — VANQUISH-1 and VANQUISH-2. While the VANQUISH-1 study is enrolling obese adults with at least one weight-related co-morbid condition and without type II diabetes (T2D), the VANQUISH-2 study will enroll obese or overweight adults with T2D. Viking has already completed enrolment in the VANQUISH-1 study, while the same for VANQUISH-2 is expected in the first quarter of 2026.

Alongside the earnings results, Viking announced plans to advance the oral version of VK2735 into late-stage development, which is expected to start in the third quarter of 2026. This update likely drove the jump in stock price during after-market trading yesterday, as oral options are being viewed as the next growth frontier in the obesity space.

Currently, the obesity market is dominated by Eli Lilly LLY and Novo Nordisk NVO with their respective GLP-1 injections, Zepbound and Wegovy. Novo Nordisk recently launched an oral version of Wegovy, while an FDA decision for Eli Lilly’s oral obesity pill is due in the second quarter of 2026. VKTX’s decision to advance VK2735 oral into late-stage development places it among a handful of companies with a phase III-ready oral obesity therapy. Investors appeared to welcome this announcement, as the stock price was also rising in pre-market trading today.

In the past year, the stock has lost 3% against the industry’s nearly 19% growth.

Last year, Viking Therapeutics started a new maintenance dosing study on VK2735. This study is exploring multiple regimens — monthly SC, weekly oral and daily oral dosing — to check whether the initial weight loss achieved following weekly SC dosing of the drug can be sustained. The company recently completed enrolment in this study and expects to report results in the third quarter of 2026.

VKTX also remains on track to file an investigational new drug (IND) application with the FDA in the first quarter of 2026 to advance an internally developed amylin agonist program to clinical development for treating obesity.

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. Price

 

Viking Therapeutics, Inc. price | Viking Therapeutics, Inc. Quote

VKTX’s Zacks Rank

Viking currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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