Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

Key Points

• Short interest jumped 21.3% in March to 7,736,098 shares (about 1.7% of shares sold short), yielding a short‑interest ratio of 2.8 days based on average daily volume of ~2.77M shares.
• Analyst and market momentum is bullish: Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded VIK to Buy and raised its price target to $95, Citigroup published a bullish forecast, and the stock hit a new 52‑week high with a relative‑strength reading above 80.
• Insider and institutional activity is notable — EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares (~$3.72M), trimming his stake by ~9.9%, while institutions own about 98.84% of the stock (State Street holds ~1.81M shares), which could amplify price moves from large trades.

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 7,736,098 shares, a growth of 21.3% from the March 15th total of 6,377,773 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,767,197 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.8 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company's shares are sold short.

Key Stories Impacting Viking

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded VIK from "neutral" to "buy" and raised its price target to $95 (from $72), signaling analyst conviction and supporting upside expectations. Rothschild upgrade coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup published a bullish forecast calling for strong price appreciation, adding institutional momentum to the stock's rally. Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Viking
• Positive Sentiment: VIK hit a new 52‑week high following the analyst activity and coverage, which can attract momentum buyers and funds tracking highs. Viking Hits New 52-Week High
• Positive Sentiment: Technical strength: Viking crossed an 80+ relative strength rating, a signal some quant/technical funds use to add exposure. Relative strength article
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Torstein Hagen did a one‑on‑one interview with Jim Cramer (CNBC), raising visibility but not introducing new material guidance. CEO interview with Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: NYSE issued a routine pre‑market content update marking Viking’s two‑year anniversary since going public—mostly PR/visibility. NYSE content update
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares at an average ~$80.23 (≈$3.72M) and reduced his stake by about 9.9%. That sizable sale at recent highs could signal profit‑taking and weigh on the stock near current levels. Insider sale filing

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Viking news, EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares of the business'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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 420,022 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,698,365.06. The trade was a 9.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Institutional Trading of Viking

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VIK. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its position 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 buying an additional 690 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Viking during the 2nd quarter worth $303,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Viking during the 2nd quarter worth $922,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Viking by 34,748.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,812,120 shares of the company's stock worth $96,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,806,920 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nebula Research & Development LLC grew its stake in shares of Viking by 275.0% in the 2nd quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC now owns 30,257 shares of the company's stock worth $1,612,000 after acquiring an additional 22,188 shares in the last quarter. 98.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Stock Performance

VIK opened at $80.35 on Friday. Viking has a 1-year low of $36.99 and a 1-year high of $81.98. The company has a market cap of $35.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.26, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.90. The company's fifty day moving average price is $74.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.76.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter. Viking had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 240.75%. On average, analysts expect that Viking will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VIK. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Viking from $78.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a "cautious" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Viking from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Viking from $77.00 to $76.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Viking from $61.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Viking from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.67.

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.

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