Insider Selling: Viking (NYSE:VIK) EVP Sells $577,116.00 in Stock

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) EVP Richard Marnell sold 6,120 shares of Viking stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.30, for a total transaction of $577,116.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 110,930 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,460,699. The trade was a 5.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Richard Marnell also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, June 16th, Richard Marnell sold 159 shares of Viking stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.67, for a total value of $15,052.53.
• On Friday, June 12th, Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of Viking stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total value of $1,047,997.95.

Viking Price Performance

VIK stock opened at $97.35 on Friday. Viking Holdings Ltd. has a 52-week low of $47.02 and a 52-week high of $99.00. 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 stock has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.59. The business has a fifty day moving average of $85.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.97.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.11). The business had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Viking had a return on equity of 149.40% and a net margin of 18.00%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.24) EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VIK has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $95.00 price target on shares of Viking and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Viking from $87.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Viking from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $79.00 to $109.00 in a report on Monday, May 18th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on Viking in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $108.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Viking in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.38.

Key Headlines Impacting Viking

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Viking remains near its 52-week high and continues to trade well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, suggesting strong momentum and sustained investor confidence in the cruise operator’s growth outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable overall, with multiple firms maintaining or initiating Buy ratings and a consensus target price near current levels, which can help support the shares. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: A Zacks comparison article raised the question of whether VIK is a better value stock than Life Time Group, but it does not appear to introduce a direct catalyst for Viking shares. Article link
• Neutral Sentiment: Several “Viking” news items about archaeology, sports chants, and tourist attractions are unrelated to Viking Holdings and are unlikely to affect the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Richard Marnell disclosed multiple share sales over June 12-16, including a larger sale of 11,287 shares plus additional smaller sales. While his remaining ownership is still significant, insider selling can be viewed cautiously by investors. SEC filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VIK. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Viking in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Viking by 19,500.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Viking in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in Viking by 316.0% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Viking by 651.8% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 421 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.