Viking Therapeutics’ price target implies a juicy upside to current levels.
The stock’s biggest catalysts will likely have to wait until next year.
The drug maker is somewhat risky, but could offer massive profits.
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Last year was a challenging one for Viking therapeutics(NASDAQ: VKTX)a mid-cap biotech. The company made little clinical progress, and in fact one of the most important data readings it released was not well received by the market, leading to a sale. Over the past 12 months, shares of Viking Therapeutics have lagged behind S&P 500. But could Viking perform much better this year?
Many Wall Street analysts think so. The company boasts an average price target of $93.39 (according to Yahoo! Finance), implying a 175% upside from current levels. Can Viking Therapeutics Grow That Much in 2026?
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Viking Therapeutics’ lead candidate is VK2735, an experimental GLP-1 drug it is developing for weight management. A subcutaneous version of this therapy is currently in a 78-week phase 3 study. Viking’s Phase 3 results for VK2735 will be the most important event for the company in a long time, potentially sending the stock price higher overnight, provided the results are strong.
However, with the trial recording completed at the end of 2025, it is unlikely that we will see full results anytime soon. The biotech will likely reveal them in 2027. Could we see an interim analysis in 2026? Maybe, but it’s not clear. Viking Therapeutics is also conducting a Phase 1 maintenance study for VK2735, testing daily oral, weekly oral and monthly oral injection regimens in a small number of patients who have already achieved weight loss with VK2735.
Why is this important? Losing weight and keeping it off are two different things. Many GLP-1 patients regain much of what they have lost, and drug manufacturers are developing more and more strategies to help with this. If Viking can show that continuing VK2735, in a different formulation (oral) or at different intervals (monthly versus weekly), can help maintain weight, that would be an interesting differentiator for the drug.
It would take a lot for shares of Viking Therapeutics to rise 175% this year. The maintenance trial is unlikely to get there because phase 1 trials tend to prioritize safety and tolerability (things that won’t significantly shake the stock price, even if they are strong) over efficacy. So even if this maintenance study goes well, it won’t help Viking stock more than double this year.
And Phase 3 data for VK2735 may not come until 2027 either. Where does that leave Viking Therapeutics? With no major catalysts on the horizon, the biotech stock is unlikely to reach the heights Wall Street predicts. The more important question for investors is whether the stock is worth buying and holding for at least the next five years, regardless of what happens in 2026.
And my view is that while it carries somewhat high risk (as almost all clinical-stage biotechs do), Viking Therapeutics is an excellent choice for investors with the right degree of risk tolerance. Here’s why. The weight loss market is growing rapidly, but new treatment options are still needed. Viking’s VK2735 performed very well in midterm studies.
This does not guarantee eventual commercial success, but Viking Therapeutics has expanded production by developing an oral version of VK2735 along with the subcutaneous formulation. It will also conduct late-stage studies in populations with diabetes, who have more trouble losing weight. And the maintenance study he’s running shows he’s thinking ahead and looking to differentiate his top contender.
Finally, Viking has other promising programs. The company’s VK2809 performed well in mid-stage studies targeting steatohepatitis associated with metabolic dysfunction, which remains an area of high unmet need. Viking Therapeutics has developed a newer candidate for weight loss, for which it plans to begin clinical trials soon.
However, shares of Viking Therapeutics could rise over the next couple of years, provided it makes strong clinical progress. Also, the stock could lose significant value if it doesn’t, hence the risk. Invest accordingly.
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Prosper Junior Bakiny has positions in Viking Therapeutics. The Motley Fool recommends Viking Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
1 Stock That Could Rise 175% According to Wall Street was originally published by The Motley Fool
