Aberdeen Group plc Makes New $121.70 Million Investment in Viking Holdings Ltd. $VIK

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group initiated a $121.7 million position in Viking Holdings, buying 1.55 million shares, or about 0.35% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 98.84% of Viking’s stock.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $107.44; 15 analysts rate the stock Buy, while three rate it Hold and one rates it Sell.
• Viking beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $1.31 versus $1.26 expected and revenue of $2.19 billion, up 16.5% year over year. Insiders sold 65,000 shares worth about $5.77 million during the quarter.

Aberdeen Group plc bought a new position in Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,553,698 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $121,701,000. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.35% of Viking as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VIK. Compass Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Viking by 164.8% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Capital Management Inc. now owns 69,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,446,000 after purchasing an additional 43,269 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in Viking by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 11,677 shares of the company's stock worth $915,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Private Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Viking by 117.2% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 16,785 shares of the company's stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 9,056 shares during the period. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. raised its position in Viking by 48.5% in the 3rd quarter. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. now owns 3,673 shares of the company's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,199 shares during the period. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in Viking by 77.6% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 4,380 shares of the company's stock worth $343,000 after purchasing an additional 1,914 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on VIK shares. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Viking from $102.00 to $98.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Viking from $108.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Viking from $105.00 to $100.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Viking from $115.00 to $105.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Viking in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $107.44.

Insider Activity at Viking

In other news, EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.23, for a total transaction of $2,255,750.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 395,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,642,835.06. The trade was a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Milton Hugh sold 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.19, for a total value of $1,803,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 565,571 shares in the company, valued at $51,008,848.49. This trade represents a 3.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 65,000 shares of company stock valued at $5,770,950.

Viking Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:VIK opened at $89.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $84.33 and a 200 day moving average of $85.96. Viking Holdings Ltd. has a 52 week low of $56.67 and a 52 week high of $110.09.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.14 billion. Viking had a net margin of 19.33% and a return on equity of 117.98%. The company's revenue was up 16.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Viking Company Profile

Viking Holdings Ltd. operates cruise voyages through its Viking brand, offering river, ocean and expedition cruises. Its trips are designed around destination-focused itineraries and include onboard cultural and educational programming. The company's river cruises visit destinations across Europe, Asia, Egypt and the United States, while its ocean and expedition voyages travel to regions around the world. Viking began as a river cruise company in 1997 and later expanded into ocean and expedition cruising.

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