Short Interest in Viking Holdings Ltd (NYSE:VIK) Drops By 16.6%

Viking Holdings Ltd (NYSE:VIK) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 6,390,000 shares, a decline of 16.6% from the March 15th total of 7,660,000 shares. Currently, 3.8% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,480,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VIK. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Viking from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Viking in a report on Monday, March 31st. They set a “hold” rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Viking from $54.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Viking in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $47.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Viking from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.18.

Viking Price Performance

VIK opened at $37.57 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.21 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 144.50. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $42.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $43.90. Viking has a 1 year low of $25.71 and a 1 year high of $53.14.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 20.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Viking will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIK. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Viking by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Viking in the 4th quarter worth $66,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Viking in the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. Orion Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Viking in the 4th quarter worth about $110,000. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new stake in Viking during the 4th quarter valued at $119,000. Institutional investors own 98.84% of the company’s stock.

Viking Company Profile

Viking Holdings Ltd engages in the passenger shipping and other forms of passenger transport in North America, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through River and Ocean segments. The company also operates as a tour entrepreneur for passengers and related activities in tourism. As of December 31, 2023, it operated a fleet of 92 ships, including 81 river vessels comprising 58 Longships, 10 smaller classes based on the Longship design, 11 other river vessels, and 1 river vessel charter and the Viking Mississippi; 9 ocean ships; and 2 expedition ships.