Viking Therapeutics Stock Gets Boost From Pfizer-Metsera Deal, Says BTIG — Retail Slams Rivals For Buying ‘Inferior Pipelines’

Shares of Viking Therapeutics rose 3.4% to $26.25 on Monday and extended gains after hours, with a Wall Street research firm suggesting the biopharma is benefiting from Pfizer’s buyout offer for Metsera as it looks to bolster its obesity drug pipeline.

BTIG reiterated a ‘Buy’ rating and $125 price target on Viking’s stock, saying the transaction sharpens the company’s clinical updates and strategic optionality while bolstering sentiment ahead of key readouts. The commentary followed Roche’s acquisition of 89bio, signaling increased deal activity in the biotech space.

Meanwhile, Metsera’s stock surged to an all-time high Monday, marking their biggest one-day gain ever. 

As part of the deal, Pfizer will pay Metsera $47.50 in cash per share, giving the company an enterprise value of $4.9 billion. If three clinical milestones are achieved, additional payments of $22.50 per Metsera share will be made, bringing the total value of the deal to as much as $7.3 billion. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, pending approvals.

Metsera, a clinical-stage biotech developing therapies for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, will add four differentiated programs to Pfizer’s pipeline. The assets include weekly and monthly injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists, two orally delivered GLP-1 candidates, and MET-233i, a monthly injectable amylin analog. The company previously discontinued its own obesity candidate Danuglipron.

Viking was also in the spotlight, with Daniel Newman, CEO of Futurum Equities, posting on X that Viking’s valuation “just got a massive shot in the arm with the Pfizer deal to buy Metsera,” describing Metsera’s GLP-1 program as “a far less exciting GLP” and arguing that Viking is “worth far more than $7.2 billion.”

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘extremely bullish’ for both Pfizer and Metsera amid ‘extremely high’ message volume, while Viking drew ‘bullish’ sentiment alongside ‘high’ activity.

One bullish user said Viking management had likely rejected lowball offers from large pharma, leaving rivals to acquire ‘inferior pipelines.

Another pointed to debate over whether Viking should pursue a buyout or go-it-alone strategy, adding that CEO Brian Lian’s stake of more than two million shares aligns him with investors. The user disclosed holding 83,000 shares, calling the position conviction-driven.

So far this year, Pfizer’s stock is down 4.5%, Metsera’s shares have more than doubled, and Viking Therapeutics’ stock has fallen 34.8%.

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