Viking (NYSE:VIK – Get Free Report) and Ark Restaurants (NASDAQ:ARKR – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, earnings, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.
Valuation & Earnings
This table compares Viking and Ark Restaurants”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Viking | $6.50 billion | 6.24 | $1.15 billion | $3.01 | 30.24 |
| Ark Restaurants | $165.75 million | 0.12 | -$11.47 million | ($0.88) | -6.02 |
Profitability
This table compares Viking and Ark Restaurants’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Viking | 19.33% | 117.98% | 10.80% |
| Ark Restaurants | -2.04% | -10.61% | -2.58% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
98.8% of Viking shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 32.0% of Ark Restaurants shares are held by institutional investors. 37.5% of Ark Restaurants shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.
Analyst Recommendations
This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Viking and Ark Restaurants, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Viking | 1 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 2.79 |
| Ark Restaurants | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 |
Viking currently has a consensus target price of $107.50, indicating a potential upside of 18.10%. Given Viking’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Viking is more favorable than Ark Restaurants.
Volatility & Risk
Viking has a beta of 1.5, indicating that its share price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ark Restaurants has a beta of 0.35, indicating that its share price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Viking beats Ark Restaurants on 14 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
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. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda.
About Ark Restaurants
Ark Restaurants Corp., through its subsidiaries, owns and operates restaurants and bars in the United States. It operates restaurants in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas, Nevada; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Florida; and Alabama, as well as fast food concepts and catering operations. The company was incorporated in 1983 and is based in New York, New York.
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