Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) saw its shares tumble 5.09% in after-hours trading on Wednesday following the release of its second-quarter 2025 financial results, which fell short of analyst expectations. The biopharmaceutical company, focused on developing novel therapies for metabolic and endocrine disorders, reported a wider-than-anticipated net loss and higher operating expenses.

For the second quarter, Viking Therapeutics reported a loss per share of $0.58, missing the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company's net loss widened to $65.561 million, significantly exceeding the expected loss of $51.6 million. Operating expenses also increased to $74.574 million, surpassing analyst projections of $59.1 million. These figures represent a substantial increase in losses compared to the same period last year, when the company reported a loss of $0.20 per share.

Despite the disappointing financial results, Viking Therapeutics maintained a strong cash position of $808 million to support its ongoing clinical trials. The company highlighted progress in its development pipeline, including the initiation of Phase 3 VANQUISH trials for VK2735 in obesity and type 2 diabetes, and the completion of enrollment for the Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral Dosing trial. Looking ahead, Viking expects top-line results from the VENTURE-Oral study in the second half of 2025 and plans to submit Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for its DACRA and Amylin programs in the fourth quarter of 2025. While these developments show promise for the company's future, the market's immediate reaction focused on the earnings miss, resulting in the after-hours stock price decline.