Viking (NYSE:VIK – Get Free Report) and Trip.com Group (NASDAQ:TCOM – Get Free Report) are both large-cap consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings and analyst recommendations.
Analyst Ratings
This is a breakdown of current recommendations for Viking and Trip.com Group, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Viking | 1 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 2.79 |
| Trip.com Group | 1 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2.64 |
Viking currently has a consensus target price of $104.06, indicating a potential downside of 3.40%. Trip.com Group has a consensus target price of $63.75, indicating a potential upside of 36.10%. Given Trip.com Group’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Trip.com Group is more favorable than Viking.
Profitability
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Viking | 18.00% | 149.40% | 10.16% |
| Trip.com Group | 48.26% | 17.57% | 10.97% |
Institutional & Insider Ownership
98.8% of Viking shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 35.4% of Trip.com Group shares are held by institutional investors. 23.0% of Trip.com Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.
Earnings and Valuation
This table compares Viking and Trip.com Group”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Viking | $6.50 billion | 7.38 | $1.15 billion | $2.69 | 40.04 |
| Trip.com Group | $8.94 billion | 3.40 | $4.77 billion | $6.39 | 7.33 |
Trip.com Group has higher revenue and earnings than Viking. Trip.com Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Viking, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility and Risk
Viking has a beta of 1.5, meaning that its stock price is 50% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Trip.com Group has a beta of -0.02, meaning that its stock price is 102% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Summary
Viking beats Trip.com Group on 8 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 Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider for accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and in-destination, corporate travel management, and other travel-related services in China and internationally. The company acts as an agent for hotel-related transactions and selling air tickets, as well as provides train, long-distance bus, and ferry tickets; travel insurance products, such as flight delay, air accident, and baggage loss coverage; and air-ticket delivery, online check-in and seat selection, express security screening, real-time flight status tracker, and airport VIP lounge services. It also provides independent leisure travelers bundled packaged-tour products comprising group, semi-group, and customized and packaged tours with various transportation arrangements, including air, cruise, bus, and car rental services. In addition, the company offers integrated transportation and accommodation services; destination transportation and ticket, activity, insurance, visa, and tour guide services; user support, supplier management, and customer relationship management services; and in-destination products and services. Further, It provides its corporate clients with business visit, incentive trip, meeting and conference, travel data collection and analysis, and industry benchmarking solutions; and Corporate Travel Management System, an online platform that integrates information management, online booking and authorization, online inquiry, and travel reporting systems. Additionally, the company offers online advertising and financial services, such as marketing planning and travel media services. It operates under the Ctrip, Qunar, Trip.com, and Skyscanner brands. The company was formerly known as Ctrip.com International, Ltd. and changed its name to Trip.com Group Limited in October 2019. Trip.com Group Limited was founded in 1999 and is based in Singapore.
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