Operating cash outflow of -$138.2M in 2026Q3 tracks closely with net losses (OCF/NI near 0.75 to 1.0 in recent quarters), indicating losses are largely cash-driven, with no capex or shareholder returns and cash burn concentrated in development spending.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) cash flow statement — 14-year operating, investing & financing cash flows
| Metric | TTM | Dec'25 | Dec'24 | Dec'23 | Dec'22 | Dec'21 | Dec'20 | Dec'19 | Dec'18 | Dec'17 | Dec'16 | Dec'15 | Dec'14 | Dec'13 | Dec'12 |
|---|
| Cash from Operations | -462.63M | -278.69M | -87.79M | -73.38M | -48.4M | -47.59M | -21.78M | -24.75M | -18.75M | -14.76M | -11.07M | -8.73M | -1.59M | -78.23K | -200 |
| Operating CF Margin % | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Operating CF Growth % | -504.32% | -217.45% | -19.64% | -51.61% | -1.7% | -118.51% | 12.02% | -31.98% | -27.09% | -33.3% | -26.8% | -448.66% | -1934.16% | -39017.5% | - |
| Net Income | -627.2M | -359.64M | -109.96M | -85.89M | -68.87M | -54.99M | -39.49M | -25.78M | -22.06M | -20.58M | -14.73M | -23.4M | -21.88M | -146.25K | -444 |
| Depreciation & Amortization | 336K | 431K | 346K | 292K | 291K | 296K | 277K | 260K | 26.16M | 19.07M | 1.93M | 1.03M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stock-Based Compensation | 47.95M | 40.82M | 29.71M | 16.75M | 8.67M | 6.1M | 5.82M | 3.74M | 2.61M | 1.45M | 1.79M | 2.6M | 6.26K | 4 | 22 |
| Deferred Taxes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -392K | -1.28M | -1.79M | -893.5K | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other Non-Cash Items | -4.43M | -9.27M | -17.25M | -8.07M | 1.32M | 3.94M | 3.91M | 807K | -25.89M | -15.19M | 877.65K | 11.32M | -1.65M | 42.57K | 244 |
| Working Capital Changes | 120.71M | 48.98M | 9.36M | 3.55M | 10.19M | -2.93M | 7.72M | -3.78M | 823K | 1.77M | 849.88K | 620.32K | 21.94M | 25.44K | 0 |
| Change in Receivables | 1.47M | 5.08M | 1.2M | 321K | 614K | 1.18M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Inventory | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Change in Payables | 77.72M | 43.44M | 2.3M | -1.02M | 7.08M | -2.54M | 1.55M | 1.47M | -508K | 263.51K | 677.18K | 219.24K | 190.3K | 20.06K | 0 |
| Cash from Investing | 331.75M | 341.39M | -553.37M | -179.09M | 54.75M | 37.96M | 41.57M | 7.46M | -265.73M | -1.73M | 3.03M | -13.47M | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Capital Expenditures | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CapEx % of Revenue | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Acquisitions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investments | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Other Investing | 125.69M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54.75K | 0 | 0 | 0 | -265.73K | -1.73K | 3.03K | -13.47K | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash from Financing | 708.32M | 76.44M | 612.46M | 271.38M | 4.16M | 6.88M | 950K | 887K | 300.27M | 22.4M | 10.35M | 22.21M | 2.17M | 257.85K | 200 |
| Debt Issued (Net) | 251M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3.83M | -77K | -94.86K | 0 | 2.5M | 260.35K | 0 |
| Equity Issued (Net) | 349.17M | 2.49M | 597.09M | 269.76M | -8.33M | 7.59M | 1.25M | 1.04M | 296.61M | 22.35M | 11.55M | 25.39M | -2 | -2.5K | 0 |
| Dividends Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Share Repurchases | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -6.79M | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -229 | -38 | -2 | -2.5K | 0 |
| Other Financing | 108.15M | 73.95M | 15.37M | 1.62M | 12.49M | -707K | -296K | -151K | 7.5M | 125.45K | -1.1M | -3.18M | -332.34K | 0 | 200 |
| Net Change in Cash | 577.22M | 139.13M | -28.84M | 18.88M | 10.26M | -2.75M | 20.74M | -16.4M | 15.79M | 5.91M | 2.31M | 12.69K | 576.24K | 179.62K | 0 |
| Free Cash Flow | -462.63M | -278.69M | -87.79M | -73.38M | -48.4M | -47.59M | -21.78M | -24.75M | -18.75M | -14.76M | -11.07M | -8.73M | -1.59M | -78.23K | -200 |
| FCF Margin % | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| FCF Growth % | -106% | -217.45% | -19.64% | -51.61% | -1.7% | -118.51% | 12.02% | -31.98% | -27.09% | -33.3% | -26.8% | -448.66% | -1934.16% | -39017.5% | - |
| FCF per Share | -3.92 | -2.47 | -0.81 | -0.78 | -0.63 | -0.62 | -0.30 | -0.34 | -0.33 | -0.57 | -0.68 | -1.37 | -0.37 | -0.02 | -0.13 |
| FCF Conversion (FCF/Net Income) | 0.74x | 0.77x | 0.80x | 0.85x | 0.70x | 0.87x | 0.55x | 0.96x | 0.85x | 0.72x | 0.75x | 0.37x | 0.07x | 0.53x | 0.45x |
| Interest Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxes Paid | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying VKTX stock.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) generated $-278.7M in net cash from operating activities in 2025. This reflects the cash generated directly from core business operations.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) reported negative free cash flow of $278.7M in 2025, indicating capital requirements exceeded cash from operations.
Viking Therapeutics, Inc. (VKTX) spent $0.0M on capital expenditures in 2025. CapEx represents the cash invested in physical assets like property, plant, and equipment to maintain or grow the business.
Key Metrics
Top Statement Risk
Accelerating cash burn
Metrics are mathematically derived from official filings.
Losses Mirror Operating Cash Burn
Based on reported figures, VKTX's operating cash flow has tracked closely with its net losses over the last ten quarters, with OCF/NI ratios ranging from 0.54 to 1.28, suggesting the reported losses are largely cash-driven rather than dominated by non-cash charges. The conversion profile indicates the deficit is real and not an accounting artifact. Investors should monitor whether this relationship persists as operating spending scales further.
The 2026Q3 operating cash outflow of $138.2M against a net loss of $183.2M yields an OCF/NI ratio of 0.75, meaning roughly three-quarters of the reported loss consumed cash in the period. Stock-based compensation of $17.9M explains a meaningful portion of the gap, but the remaining difference is consistent with the cash-intensive nature of clinical-stage R&D spending. Because the company reports no revenue, the cash cost of research is effectively the entire burn story rather than a timing issue in collections.
Free Cash Flow Deficit Widening Steadily
Based on EDBL's reported figures, VKTX's free cash flow deficit expanded from roughly -$22.0M in 2024Q3 to -$138.2M in 2026Q3, with no offsetting revenue to support the outflow. The trajectory signals a sustained acceleration in cash consumption as pipeline spending scales. Free cash flow margin is not meaningful given the absence of reported revenue.
Free cash flow has been negative in every quarter presented, and the quarterly burn has risen more than sixfold over roughly two years, with a notable step-up through 2025 and 2026. Because capital expenditures are reported as zero, the entire free cash flow figure reflects operating outflows tied to research and administrative activity. Without revenue, traditional FCF margin analysis offers little insight, so the more relevant measure is the length of runway implied by the current burn rate, which the supplied data does not fully disclose.
Asset-Light Model Keeps Capex Minimal
As reported in financial statements, VKTX recorded no capital expenditures across the ten quarters provided, indicating an asset-light operating model centered on outsourced or intangible-driven development. This keeps the cash burn concentrated in operating expenses rather than fixed investment. The absence of capex means depreciation is also negligible, consistent with limited physical infrastructure.
Zero capex and near-zero depreciation and amortization suggest the company is not building manufacturing or lab infrastructure on its balance sheet during this period. This structure lowers capital intensity but also means cash spending is fully exposed to clinical trial and personnel costs, leaving little flexibility to defer investment. Investors may wish to confirm whether development activities are contracted out, since that affects how quickly spending can be scaled up or cut.
Capital Consumed Entirely by Operations
According to recent SEC filings, VKTX paid no dividends, repurchased no shares, and reported no acquisitions over the periods provided, so all cash resources were directed toward funding operating losses. This leaves capital deployment as a single-purpose question of sustaining development spending. The absence of shareholder returns is expected for a loss-making biotech.
With no buybacks, dividends, or acquisitions, the entire cash position is being drawn down to fund operations, making the balance sheet cash level and any external financing the critical variables. The supplied data does not disclose cash balances or financing activity, so the adequacy of current resources cannot be assessed from this dataset. Analysts should cross-reference the balance sheet and recent financing disclosures to judge how many quarters of runway remain at the current burn.
Working Capital Swings Obscure Underlying Burn
Based on reported figures, VKTX's working capital changes have been volatile, swinging from a $65.5M inflow in 2025Q4 to a $15.1M outflow in 2025Q1, which may temporarily mask or exaggerate the underlying operating burn. Quarterly operating cash flow is therefore a noisy read of run-rate spending. Investors should look at multi-quarter averages rather than single periods.
The large 2025Q4 working capital inflow of $65.5M coincided with an operating cash outflow of only $85.3M, meaning the underlying cash burn before that timing benefit was materially larger. Such swings typically reflect accrued liability timing rather than improving economics, and they may reverse in subsequent periods. Treating the most recent quarter as a clean baseline risks understating the true cash consumption rate.