Viking (NYSE:VIK) Sets New 52-Week High - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Viking shares reached a new 52-week high of $105.86 and last traded at $104.45, above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages of $96.76 and $83.29, respectively.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $103.39; Goldman Sachs raised its target to $108 and assigned a “Buy” rating.
• Viking reported quarterly revenue of $1.05 billion, up 17.5% year over year, while matching the consensus EPS loss of $0.11. However, the company carries significant leverage, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.27, and insiders sold shares in the latest quarter.

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $105.86 and last traded at $104.45, with a volume of 77715 shares. The stock had previously closed at $104.45.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VIK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Viking from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Viking from $87.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays upped their price objective on Viking from $88.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Viking from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Viking from $95.00 to $108.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Viking presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.39.

Viking Trading Down 0.6%

The company has a 50 day moving average of $96.76 and a 200 day moving average of $83.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.27, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.48.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.11). Viking had a net margin of 18.00% and a return on equity of 149.40%. The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.24) EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Viking

In related news, EVP Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total transaction of $1,047,997.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 117,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,868,092.50. The trade was a 8.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders have sold 17,566 shares of company stock valued at $1,640,166 over the last quarter.

Institutional Trading of Viking

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Viking by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 14,619,029 shares of the company's stock worth $1,043,945,000 after purchasing an additional 570,672 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,611,685 shares of the company's stock valued at $614,960,000 after purchasing an additional 136,918 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Viking during the fourth quarter worth approximately $372,297,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Viking by 316.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,426,297 shares of the company's stock worth $316,082,000 after buying an additional 3,364,265 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its stake in Viking by 28.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 2,690,678 shares of the company's stock worth $167,253,000 after buying an additional 600,890 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.84% of the company's stock.

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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