Viking (NYSE:VIK) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $97.20 and last traded at $94.7030, with a volume of 3110359 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $94.04.

Key Stories Impacting Viking

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: VIK has strong technical momentum, trading near its 52-week high and above key moving averages, which suggests continued investor confidence in the cruise operator’s growth outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain broadly constructive on Viking, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and price targets that cluster near or above current levels, including recent upgrades and a $108 target from Loop Capital.
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent coverage comparing VIK with another leisure stock and broader “shipping stocks” watchlist pieces may keep the name in focus, but they do not appear to provide a direct new catalyst for Viking’s business.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Richard Marnell disclosed multiple share sales over the past few trading days, including larger transactions on June 12 and June 15. While he still holds a sizable stake, insider selling can raise caution among some investors. SEC filing

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VIK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Viking from $87.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings lowered Viking from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Truist Financial raised Viking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Viking from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Viking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 8th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.38.

Viking Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $84.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.75. The stock has a market cap of $42.21 billion, a PE ratio of 35.21, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.59. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Viking had a return on equity of 149.40% and a net margin of 18.00%.Viking’s revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.24) EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.28 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Viking

In related news, EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares of Viking stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 420,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,698,365.06. This trade represents a 9.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of Viking stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total value of $1,047,997.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,050 shares in the company, valued at $10,868,092.50. This represents a 8.79% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 92,566 shares of company stock worth $7,657,130 in the last three months.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. PVG Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in Viking during the 1st quarter worth about $1,008,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Viking by 2,599.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 107,969 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,934,000 after acquiring an additional 103,970 shares during the period. Militia Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Viking during the 1st quarter worth about $265,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position in Viking by 70.2% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,604 shares of the company’s stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares during the period. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA acquired a new stake in Viking during the 1st quarter worth about $238,000. 98.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Viking

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.