7. Viking Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VKTX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders — 47
Number of Billionaire Holders — 18
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VKTX) is building its obesity strategy around a commercially important question: how patients might achieve weight loss and then maintain it with a practical treatment schedule.
Its October 28 update confirmed that the injectable VANQUISH Phase 3 program for VK2735 continued to advance, while the oral SUNRISE Phase 3 program had begun. Both formulations target GLP-1 and GIP receptors, giving the company multiple potential routes into the weight-management market.
Maintenance findings add another dimension. In the reported range-finding study, participants lost approximately 16%–19% of baseline body weight during 21 weeks of weekly dosing. After switching to less frequent treatment, monthly-dose groups retained approximately 82%–90% of that initial weight loss at Week 33.
Those percentages describe retained weight loss, rather than additional reductions in body weight. They also cover a limited maintenance period, leaving longer-term durability to further study.
The supplied September coverage reported a 35.67% single-session stock-price gain following the maintenance results, illustrating how strongly investors responded to the potential differentiation.
Financial capacity expanded alongside the pipeline. At September 30, the company held approximately $960 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments following recent financing. Third-quarter research and development expenses reached $166.8 million.
That combination shows both the opportunity and its cost. Multiple late-stage trials provide several development paths, but require substantial capital before potential product revenue.
For obesity-stock investors, treatment convenience could become commercially valuable if clinical results support it. The remaining challenge is to demonstrate durable benefits, acceptable tolerability, and a competitive product profile across larger studies.
Ranking rationale: Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VKTX) ranks seventh with 18 billionaire holders. Its injectable and oral obesity programs, maintenance-dosing evidence, and strengthened finances support inclusion, while late-stage execution and commercial competition remain decisive.
