Franklin Resources Inc. Has $126.80 Million Stock Position in Viking Holdings Ltd (NYSE:VIK)

Franklin Resources Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Viking Holdings Ltd (NYSE:VIK) by 29.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,877,812 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,212,956 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 0.67% of Viking worth $126,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Viking by 37.1% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Viking by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 9,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $408,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Viking by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 20,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $916,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in Viking by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 17,410 shares of the company’s stock valued at $767,000 after buying an additional 1,165 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Viking by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 37,592 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,656,000 after buying an additional 1,234 shares during the last quarter. 98.84% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Viking from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Viking in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. They set a “neutral” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Viking in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Viking in a research report on Monday. They set a “hold” rating and a $45.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Viking from $50.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.29.

Viking Trading Up 3.7 %

VIK stock opened at $42.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $18.12 billion and a PE ratio of 161.54. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $46.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $43.48. Viking Holdings Ltd has a 1-year low of $25.71 and a 1-year high of $53.14.

Viking (NYSE:VIK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. Viking’s revenue was up 20.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Viking Holdings Ltd will post 1.49 earnings per share for the current year.

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.