** Drug developer Viking Therapeutics VKTX.O late on Wednesday reported a wider second-quarter net loss of $65.6 million, and said it expects to report mid-stage trial results of its oral obesity drug in the second half of the year

** Shares of the company were down 8.2% at $30.65 premarket

ALL EYES ON OBESITY DRUG CANDIDATE VK2735

** H.C.Wainwright ("buy") says as Viking progresses through 2025, the VK2735 clinical program remains on a strong trajectory. "We continue to believe VK2735 is well-positioned within the GLP-1 landscape, across both subcutaneous and oral formulations"

** Co is testing its obesity drug candidate, VK2735, in both oral and under-the-skin formulations in mid-stage and late-stage studies

** William Blair ("outperform") says given the unprecedented market opportunity in obesity, it believes the value of VK2735 will ultimately be maximized in the hands of a big pharma company

** BTIG ("buy," PT: $125) says "overall, we continue to see VKTX remaining at the front of the pack in the obesity race with meaningful upside to shares headed into 2H25"

** Truist Securities ("buy," PT: $75) says "we expect rich dataset to emerge out of monthly dosing study that may help set VK2735 franchise for commercial success"

(Reporting by Sneha S K)

((Sneha.SK@thomsonreuters.com;))