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

Key Points

• Viking shares hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $97.20 as investors continued to bid up the cruise operator on strong technical momentum and a breakout above key moving averages.
• Wall Street remains generally constructive on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and several bullish price targets, including $108 from Loop Capital and $120 from Sanford C. Bernstein.
• Despite the upbeat outlook, insider selling has been notable, with EVP Richard Marnell and other executives trimming holdings even as the company posted better-than-expected revenue growth in its latest quarter.

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

Viking News Roundup

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. Analyst report
• 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 have recently weighed in on VIK. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Viking from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Loop Capital started coverage on Viking in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set a "buy" rating and a $108.00 price objective on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Viking in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $105.00 price objective on Viking in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on Viking from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.38.

Viking Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.27. The company has a market capitalization of $42.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.21, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $84.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.75.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.11). The company 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%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.24) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Viking news, EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 420,022 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,698,365.06. This trade represents a 9.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Richard Marnell sold 6,120 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.30, for a total value of $577,116.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 110,930 shares in the company, valued at $10,460,699. The trade was a 5.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 92,566 shares of company stock worth $7,657,130 over the last quarter.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Optimize Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 9,635 shares of the company's stock valued at $688,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. S.A. Mason LLC increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 2,150 shares of the company's stock valued at $154,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 5,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $413,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Finally, CI Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 53.1% during the third quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 551 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. 98.84% of the stock is 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.

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