Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $98.1765.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VIK. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $95.00 price target on Viking and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Viking in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Viking from $87.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Viking from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $79.00 to $109.00 in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Viking from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th.

Key Viking News

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets upgraded Viking to “strong-buy”, which could support investor sentiment by signaling confidence in the cruise operator’s outlook. Tickerreport.com
• Neutral Sentiment: Viking was mentioned in shipping-stock roundups, but those articles appear to be broad sector lists rather than company-specific catalysts. Top Shipping Stocks To Follow Today – July 7th
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent stories reference “Viking” in a historical or sports context, including longboats, Viking spirit, and Norway’s World Cup run, but these do not appear related to Viking Holdings’ business performance. I sail the world in a replica 10th-century Viking longboat
• Neutral Sentiment: Passionate trading activity and media coverage around “Viking” themes may keep the ticker in view, but they are unlikely to change fundamentals on their own. Ship enthusiast cites ‘Viking spirit’ as Norway ready for England clash
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity skewed bearish, with traders buying far more put options than usual, suggesting some investors are positioning for downside or hedging against weakness. Tickerreport.com

Viking Price Performance

VIK stock traded down $1.97 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $99.25. 1,379,776 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,659,440. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $92.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $80.54. The stock has a market cap of $44.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.89, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.48. Viking has a fifty-two week low of $55.55 and a fifty-two week high of $105.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.27, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.78.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11). The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Viking had a return on equity of 149.40% and a net margin of 18.00%.Viking’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.24) earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Viking will post 3.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.23, for a total value of $3,720,184.87. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 420,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,698,365.06. This represents a 9.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total value of $1,047,997.95. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 117,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,868,092.50. This trade represents a 8.79% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 63,935 shares of company stock valued at $5,360,351.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Viking by 92.0% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Viking in the 2nd quarter valued at about $303,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Viking in the 2nd quarter valued at about $922,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Viking by 34,748.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,812,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,568,000 after purchasing an additional 1,806,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC boosted its stake in shares of Viking by 275.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 30,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,612,000 after purchasing an additional 22,188 shares during the last quarter. 98.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.