Viking (NYSE:VIK) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Viking (NYSE:VIK) from a hold to a buy, joining other brokers that have raised targets and leaving the stock with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a $75.21 average target price.
• Recent results show solid profitability (quarterly EPS $0.67, revenue $1.72B, net margin 17.65%) and a market cap of about $33.3B, with a P/E around 29.1.
• Near‑term growth catalysts and heavy institutional buying (ownership ~98.8%) include two new Nile ships and recent vessel float-outs, but investors should watch elevated leverage (debt‑to‑equity ~4.8) and liquidity ratios below 1.0 as financing and capex risks.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday.

VIK has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Viking from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Viking from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $60.00 to $80.00 in a report on Monday, December 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Viking from $63.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Viking from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Viking from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four 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 a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.21.

Viking Stock Performance

Shares of VIK opened at $74.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.76, a current ratio of 0.79 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Viking has a one year low of $31.79 and a one year high of $81.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.90. The business has a fifty day moving average of $73.77 and a 200 day moving average of $68.08.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Saturday, February 14th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter. Viking had a return on equity of 240.75% and a net margin of 17.65%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Viking will post 1.49 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in Viking by 381.8% during the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,474,767 shares of the company's stock valued at $526,792,000 after acquiring an additional 6,715,666 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Viking in the fourth quarter worth about $372,297,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Viking by 80.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,117,783 shares of the company's stock worth $504,601,000 after purchasing an additional 3,615,969 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Viking by 32.8% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 14,048,357 shares of the company's stock worth $873,246,000 after purchasing an additional 3,471,244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Viking by 316.8% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,426,297 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,082,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364,265 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.84% of the company's stock.

Viking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viking says it will add two more ships to its Nile program in 2026, expanding capacity in a high‑demand route and supporting revenue growth as it scales river operations. Egypt cruise on your bucket list? Viking is adding two more ships to the Nile in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Shipbuilding progress: Viking floated out the Nile vessels Viking Ptah and Viking Sekhmet ahead of fall debuts — a delivery milestone that reduces execution risk and signals near‑term capacity additions. Viking Ptah and Sekhmet Floated Out in Egypt Ahead of Fall Debut
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is constructive: VIK carries a consensus “Moderate Buy,” which can support demand for the shares as investors favor names with visible growth catalysts. Viking Holdings Ltd. NYSE: VIK Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlights growth opportunities in European river cruises and strong guest loyalty, indicating healthy demand and pricing power for itineraries across core markets. Viking (VIK) Sees Growth Opportunity in European River Cruises
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and momentum: Zacks notes the stock has risen since earnings and highlights momentum scores — useful for traders but not a direct fundamental change. Why Is Viking (VIK) Up 1.3% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local PR/charity sponsorships (events benefiting a children's cancer center) boost brand and community relations but have limited direct financial impact. Viking Mergers & Acquisitions Sponsors Rising Leaders Bestie Brunch Benefiting Children's Cancer Center
• Negative Sentiment: Balance‑sheet and liquidity risks remain: Viking’s leverage is high (debt/equity roughly 4.8) and current/quick ratios are below 1.0 — investors should watch financing costs and fleet capex timing, which could pressure cash flow if demand softens.

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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