Insider Selling: Viking (NYSE:VIK) EVP Sells $1,047,997.95 in Stock

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) EVP Richard Marnell sold 11,287 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.85, for a total value 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. The trade was a 8.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

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 Monday, June 15th, Richard Marnell sold 6,120 shares of Viking stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.30, for a total value of $577,116.00.

Viking Stock Performance

Shares of Viking stock opened at $97.35 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $43.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.59. 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 $47.02 and a 12 month high of $99.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $85.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.97.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 14th. The company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of ($0.11). Viking had a return on equity of 149.40% and a net margin of 18.00%.The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.24) earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Viking Holdings Ltd. will post 3.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on VIK shares. Mizuho upped their target price on Viking from $69.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $86.00 price objective (up from $81.00) on shares of Viking in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Viking in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Viking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $75.00 to $102.00 in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Viking from $84.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Viking presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.38.

Institutional Trading of Viking

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Viking during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. 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 last quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Viking in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Viking by 316.0% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 416 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in 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. 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.