Empowered Funds LLC Has $7.93 Million Stock Position in Viking Holdings Ltd. $VIK

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) by 2,599.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 107,969 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 103,970 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Viking were worth $7,934,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VIK. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in Viking by 19,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Viking during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Viking by 316.0% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Viking by 651.8% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Viking during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.84% of the company’s stock.

Viking Price Performance

Viking stock opened at $104.17 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.72, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.27. Viking Holdings Ltd. has a 12 month low of $55.55 and a 12 month high of $105.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $97.16 and its 200-day moving average is $83.44.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.32 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Viking

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $120 from $108 and upgraded Viking to “Buy,” implying approximately 15% upside from the referenced price. The endorsement may support investor confidence and reflects a more favorable outlook for Viking’s earnings and growth. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Viking took delivery of the new European river ship Viking Dagur, adding capacity to its fleet and supporting future itinerary growth. Viking Takes Delivery of Viking Dagur in Europe
• Positive Sentiment: Viking announced its first Chinese-language journeys for Northern Europe, expanding its addressable customer base and potentially improving demand from Chinese-speaking travelers. Viking First Chinese-Language Journeys for Northern Europe
• Neutral Sentiment: A report about oral VK2735 entering Phase III development concerns Viking Therapeutics (NASDAQ: VKTX), not Viking Holdings (NYSE: VIK), and therefore should not affect VIK’s valuation. Viking Therapeutics VK2735 Development
• Negative Sentiment: A Viking river ship ran aground on the Danube in Bulgaria amid unusually low water levels, and travelers were reportedly evacuated. Although the incident appears weather- or water-level-related, disruptions, customer compensation, and negative publicity could weigh modestly on near-term results and brand perception. Viking Ship Runs Aground in Europe

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Viking news, EVP Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total transaction of $1,047,997.95. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 117,050 shares in the company, valued at $10,868,092.50. This trade represents a 8.79% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders sold 17,566 shares of company stock worth $1,640,166.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VIK. Stifel Nicolaus set a $105.00 price target on Viking in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Mizuho lifted their price objective 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. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Viking in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Viking from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Viking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Viking presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.06.

Viking Profile

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.