Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

Viking Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:VIK) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 6,377,773 shares, an increase of 27.8% from the February 26th total of 4,991,988 shares. Approximately 1.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,450,119 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VIK. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Viking from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Viking from $82.00 to $78.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Viking from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $60.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Viking from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Viking from $63.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.21.

Viking Trading Up 7.2%

Shares of VIK traded up $4.92 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $73.37. The company had a trading volume of 3,329,082 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,620,969. Viking has a 1-year low of $31.79 and a 1-year high of $81.48. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.77. The stock has a market cap of $32.70 billion, a PE ratio of 28.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.76.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Saturday, February 14th. The company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.72 billion during the quarter. Viking had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 240.75%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Viking will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VIK. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Viking during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Activest Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Viking during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. 98.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking Company 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.