T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Viking Holdings Ltd. $VIK

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 12,540,219 shares of the company’s stock after selling 48,226 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Viking were worth $895,498,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VIK. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Viking in the 4th quarter valued at $372,297,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Viking by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 14,048,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $873,246,000 after purchasing an additional 3,471,244 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Viking by 316.8% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 4,426,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,082,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364,265 shares during the period. Dream Peak Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Viking in the fourth quarter valued at $223,744,000. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Viking by 34,748.5% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,812,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,568,000 after buying an additional 1,806,920 shares during the last quarter. 98.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Viking Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE:VIK opened at $97.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.59. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $85.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.27. Viking Holdings Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $47.02 and a fifty-two week high of $99.00.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last posted its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.24) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jeffrey Dash sold 46,369 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 420,022 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,698,365.06. This trade represents a 9.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of Viking stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total value of $1,047,997.95. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 117,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,868,092.50. This trade represents a 8.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 92,566 shares of company stock valued at $7,657,130.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on VIK shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $105.00 target price on shares of Viking in a research note on Friday, May 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Viking from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Loop Capital began coverage on Viking in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set a “buy” rating and a $108.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Viking in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $120.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Viking in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Viking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.38.

Trending Headlines about 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

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.