Viking (NYSE:VIK) Stock Price Target Cut by Stifel Nicolaus

Viking (NYSE:VIK) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $120.00 to $115.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 46.03% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Loop Capital began coverage on Viking in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $108.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Viking from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $121.00 price target (up from $104.00) on shares of Viking in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Viking from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Viking from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.83.

Viking Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Viking stock opened at $78.75 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $35.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.79 and a 200 day moving average of $88.59. Viking has a fifty-two week low of $56.37 and a fifty-two week high of $110.09.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 20th. The company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. Viking had a return on equity of 117.98% and a net margin of 19.33%.The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. Viking’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Viking will post 3.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Viking

In other news, EVP Milton Hugh sold 20,000 shares of Viking stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.57, for a total value of $1,711,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 585,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,107,310.47. The trade was a 3.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Institutional Trading of Viking

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VIK. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Viking by 654.3% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,157,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,556,000 after acquiring an additional 5,341,580 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Viking in the fourth quarter worth approximately $372,297,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Viking by 41.0% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,227,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $163,661,000 after purchasing an additional 647,606 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in Viking by 406.9% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,844,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,716,000 after purchasing an additional 1,480,604 shares during the period. Finally, Evercore Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Viking by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Evercore Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,672,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $122,874,000 after purchasing an additional 14,465 shares during the period. 98.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Viking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viking took delivery of the Viking Sekhmet, a new river ship for its Egypt operations. The vessel expands the company’s capacity on the Nile and supports its strategy of growing its river-cruise business in a destination with significant historical and cultural appeal. Viking Takes Delivery of Newest River Ship in Egypt
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus maintained a Buy rating on Viking while lowering its price target from $120 to $115. The revised target still implies substantial potential upside from recent trading levels, indicating that the analyst remains constructive on the company’s long-term outlook. Viking Price Target Cut to $115 by Stifel Nicolaus
• Neutral Sentiment: The new ship is strategically positive, but delivery-related benefits may take time to appear in revenue and earnings because the vessel must enter service and generate bookings. Viking’s expansion also requires continued investment in ships and operations.
• Negative Sentiment: The price-target reduction from Stifel may be weighing on sentiment, even though the firm retained its Buy rating. Viking’s shares remain below their 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting ongoing technical pressure. The company also carries relatively high leverage, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61.

About Viking

Viking Holdings Ltd. is a travel and hospitality company that operates a fleet of river, ocean and expedition cruise vessels under the Viking brand. The company focuses on destination-oriented travel for adults, offering itineraries that combine cruise accommodations with cultural, historical and nature-based experiences.

Viking’s river cruises operate on waterways in Europe, including the Rhine, Danube, Seine, Rhône and Douro, as well as in other regions such as Asia, Egypt and the Mississippi River in the United States.