VKTX Stock Rises After-Hours: CNBC Flags Viking As Likely Buyout Target This Year As Big Pharma Hunts Next GLP-1 Winner

• CNBC traders said acquisitions are becoming a primary route for drugmakers to enter advanced weight-loss therapy pipelines.
• One trader called it “almost a foregone conclusion” that Viking and Structure could be acquired this year.
• Investor attention remains focused on VK2735, Viking’s dual-agonist obesity therapy advancing through Phase 3 trials.

Shares of Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) rose over 2% in extended trading on Wednesday after CNBC’s Fast Money said the company could be acquired this year as drugmakers race to expand their presence in the booming GLP-1 obesity market.

VKTX stock jumped over 1% on Wednesday, marking its second consecutive session of gains.

CNBC Traders Flag Viking As Buyout Target

During the show, traders said pharma companies are turning to acquisitions to secure exposure to advanced weight-loss therapies rather than relying only on internal development.

“How do we get in the game? We have to make an acquisition,” one trader said, pointing to Structure Therapeutics (GPCR) and Viking as potential targets and adding, “I think it’s almost a foregone conclusion that those two names at some point get acquired this year.” Viking was also mentioned among CNBC’s Final Trade selections alongside Burlington Stores, Nike, and the S&P 500.

Viking Gains Attention In GLP-1 Deal Wave

Interest in obesity-focused drug developers has intensified following recent momentum across the sector after Eli Lilly secured U.S. approval for its once-daily weight-loss pill Foundayo, just months after Novo Nordisk launched the first oral GLP-1 obesity pill earlier this year.

“It just seems like this is an enormous opportunity that is not a lot of money for a big cap pharma or even a medium cap pharma,” one trader on Fast Money said. Recent dealmaking in the market supports their view. Pharma companies have increasingly focused on smaller pipeline acquisitions rather than large megadeals. 

On Tuesday, Eli Lilly said it will acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at up to $7.8 billion. Similar transactions include Biogen acquiring Apellis Pharmaceuticals for $5.6 billion upfront and Merck acquiring Terns Pharmaceuticals for about $5.7 billion.

Viking Expands Obesity Drug Pipeline

Investor focus on Viking has centered on its experimental obesity therapy VK2735, a dual agonist being developed in both injectable and oral formulations. The company recently said enrollment is underway in a late-stage clinical trial evaluating the injectable version of VK2735 in about 1,000 patients with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or obese, with the primary endpoint measuring percentage change in body weight after 78 weeks of treatment compared with placebo.

The company expects to have four Phase 3 trials underway this year evaluating VK2735 and plans to advance the oral formulation into late-stage testing following discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Beyond VK2735, Viking is also advancing a separate obesity therapy targeting the amylin pathway, with plans to file an investigational new drug application this quarter and begin early-stage human testing. 

The drugmaker said earlier this month that it does not need a dominant market share to succeed despite competition from larger pharmaceutical players. “We don't need to get 30% market share,” the company said. “We need to get 5% to 10% share, and we're extremely successful.”

How Do Retail Traders Feel About VKTX?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for VKTX has jumped to ‘neutral’ from ‘bullish’ levels a day ago amid a 1,155% surge in message volumes over the past quarter. Watchers have also increased 20% in a year.

One user called VK2735 as the “Next blockbuster oral obesity drug? Likely ahead of $GPCR.”

Another user floated the idea of a possible takeover by AbbVie, saying, “Come on AbbVie, one share of yours for each share of ours and call it a day.”

VKTX stock has risen 38% over the past year.

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