Viking (NYSE:VIK) Given New $79.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Viking (NYSE:VIK) had its target price upped by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $75.00 to $79.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price suggests a potential upside of 3.37% from the company’s current price.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Mizuho set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Viking in a research report on Wednesday, November 19th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Viking from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Viking from $74.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Viking from $62.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Viking from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Viking currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.27.

Viking Stock Up 3.2%

VIK opened at $76.43 on Wednesday. Viking has a 12 month low of $31.79 and a 12 month high of $81.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $73.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.55. The company has a market cap of $33.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.71, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 1.96.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 3rd. The company reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.63 billion. Viking had a net margin of 15.53% and a return on equity of 716.92%. The company’s revenue was up 27.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Viking will post 1.49 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Viking

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Viking by 92.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 690 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Viking by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,555,000 after buying an additional 1,766 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank bought a new stake in Viking during the second quarter valued at about $815,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Viking by 1,063.5% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 292,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,597,000 after acquiring an additional 267,521 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Viking by 20.1% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,982 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares in the last quarter. 98.84% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Viking News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Viking this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Viking reported $0.67 EPS vs. $0.54 consensus and revenue of $1.72B vs. $1.63B, showing strong YoY revenue and margin improvement. This is the main catalyst boosting the stock today. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company release and investor materials — Viking’s press release, slide deck and call emphasize strong full‑year 2025 revenue growth and robust 2026 advance bookings, supporting near‑term demand expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlights Viking’s outperformance relative to peers — analysts and media contrast Viking’s “luxury, curated” positioning and superior results vs. some peers, helping investor appetite for VIK shares. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fleet investment — Viking is committing heavy capital to expand its ocean and expedition fleets (reports cite over $2B in new ship spending). This supports future capacity and revenue but increases near‑term capital requirements. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: New orders for expedition and ocean options — Viking ordered more expedition ships and added ocean ship options, signaling growth pipeline; impact depends on timing, delivery and financing. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call detail — The Q4 earnings transcript outlines operational constraints (river fleet buildouts) but management described headwinds as manageable; useful for judging guidance quality. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Deep‑dive metrics — Analyst note comparing Viking’s Q4 to estimates highlights strong margins and ROE outperformance versus expectations, reinforcing the earnings beat but suggesting investors should watch sustainability. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Crude oil rally — Crude prices are near a two‑year high, raising fuel cost risk for cruise operators; Viking notes some fuel‑efficiency and fixed‑price river contracts, but higher oil is a clear headwind that could pressure margins if sustained. Read More.

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.