Why Novo Nordisk Stock Popped Today

Key Points

• Viking Therapeutics says its new GLP-1 weight loss pill VK2735 helped patients shed 12.2% of body weight in 13 weeks.

• That's a better result than Eli Lilly just reported for its GLP-1 pill, but not quite as good as what Novo Nordisk reports.

• Novo Nordisk stock is also cheaper than Eli Lilly, and a whole lot cheaper than Viking.

• 10 stocks we like better than Novo Nordisk ›

Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX) stock collapsed in morning trading Tuesday, down more than 40% after reporting mixed results for its GLP-1 weight loss pill VK2735. As Viking shares plummet, however, one rival is having a better day.

Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) stock is up 2.2% through 10:30 a.m. ET on Viking's bad news.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Image source: Getty Images.

Why Viking's bad news is good news for Novo Nordisk

In its morning press release, Viking emphasized that its "Phase 2 VENTURE-Oral Dosing Trial of VK2735 [in] Tablet Formulation" showed the GLP-1 drug to be "safe and well-tolerated," and noted average weight loss was 12.2% across 13 weeks of once-daily pill-popping.

This all sounds like good news for Viking, but with a couple caveats: First, 20% of participants dropped out of the study citing uncomfortable side effects. And second, weight loss rival Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) recently reported a study of its own GLP-1 pill that did nearly as well as Viking's -- 11.5% weight loss.

And Novo Nordisk? Studies show its GLP-1 pill -- Wegovy in pill form -- helped patients lose 12% to 13%!

Is Novo Nordisk stock a buy?

Now factor in all the other good news Novo Nordisk has been announcing this week -- a new partnership with GoodRX to sell Ozempic and Wegovy at discount prices, a cash discount offer on Ozempic when ordered directly from Novo Nordisk, and FDA approval to use Wegovy to treat liver disease in adults. And factor in the fact that Novo Nordisk stock costs less than 14 times trailing earnings today, versus more than 45 times earnings for Eli Lilly (while unprofitable Viking is currently earning nothing at all).

Add all that up, and it's pretty clear that Novo Nordisk stock is the best value stock in GLP-1 drugs today.

Should you invest $1,000 in Novo Nordisk right now?

Before you buy stock in Novo Nordisk, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Novo Nordisk wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $671,466!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,115,633!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,076% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 184% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 18, 2025

Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk and Viking Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.