Viking (NYSE:VIK) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Viking from a "hold" to a "buy," joining several analysts who raised price targets and leaving the consensus as a Moderate Buy (11 Buy, 5 Hold, 1 Sell; consensus target $72.40).
• Viking beat expectations in the most recent quarter with EPS of $0.67 vs. $0.54 and revenue of $1.72B (up 27.8% year‑over‑year), supporting margin improvement and premium valuation prospects.
• Despite upgrades, the stock was down about 4.5% (opened $68.89), and near‑term risks—like shipyard delivery disruptions and earlier Nile cruise cancellations amid geopolitical uncertainty—could limit multiple expansion.

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

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Viking from $63.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Viking from $77.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Mizuho increased their target price on Viking from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Viking from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Viking from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.40.

Viking Stock Down 4.5%

VIK opened at $68.89 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $73.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.71. Viking has a twelve month low of $31.79 and a twelve month high of $81.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.76, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firm has a market cap of $30.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.96.

Viking (NYSE:VIK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.13. Viking had a return on equity of 240.75% and a net margin of 17.65%.The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 27.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Viking will post 1.49 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Viking

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VIK. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 570,672 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of Viking by 1.6% during 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Viking by 80.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,117,783 shares of the company's stock valued at $504,601,000 after purchasing an additional 3,615,969 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Viking by 57.9% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 5,706,427 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,095,000 after purchasing an additional 2,092,729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Viking in the fourth quarter worth $372,297,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.84% of the company's stock.

Viking News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management says suspended Nile/Egypt river cruises will be resumed for upcoming sailings, limiting revenue disruption from earlier cancellations. Viking reverses course, will resume upcoming Egypt river cruises
• Positive Sentiment: Travel Weekly reports Viking plans a phased resumption of suspended Nile cruises — a direct revenue-restoration signal for affected itineraries (Egypt exposure is reported to be a small portion of total revenue). Viking plans resumption of suspended Nile cruises
• Positive Sentiment: Viking reported strong results in its recent quarter (EPS and revenue beat) and was highlighted by MarketBeat as delivering a “great” report versus peers — this supports longer‑term demand and premium valuation. Norwegian Hit Rough Seas After Earnings—Viking Cruised Through
• Positive Sentiment: Company commentary and industry coverage point to fleet strategy (fuel efficiency, upcoming hydrogen ship) and record 2025 results as drivers of margin improvement and premium positioning. Viking: Fleet Strategy Key Driver to Financial Performance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/sector pieces include VIK on lists of leisure stocks to consider and compare against peers (Zacks pieces comparing VIK to EXPE and naming it among 5 leisure stocks), which can support interest but doesn’t guarantee price upside. EXPE or VIK: Which Is the Better Value Stock Right Now? 5 Leisure and Recreation Stocks to Buy Amid Strong Demand in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Shipyard “disruptions” have forced adjustments to Viking’s river vessel deliveries — a near‑term headwind to capacity growth and longer‑term revenue expansion expectations. Viking river deliveries adjusted on shipyard 'disruptions'
• Negative Sentiment: Earlier cancellations of Nile cruises and the geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East (which can lift fuel prices) remain risk factors that could cap short‑term multiple expansion. Viking cancels Nile River cruises through March
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho recently raised Viking’s price target but left an “underperform” rating — an example of mixed analyst sentiment that can weigh on the stock when investors worry about valuation versus downside risk. Benzinga note on Mizuho price target change

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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