Viking’s Private Company Investments Turn Profitable

But the Opportunities funds have lagged Viking’s public funds this year.

Viking co-founder Andreas Halvorsen (Matthew Staver/Bloomberg)

(Matthew Staver/Bloomberg)

Viking Global Investors’ hybrid hedge fund and the fund that invests exclusively in private assets were profitable in the third quarter.

Viking Global Opportunities, which allocates capital to both private assets and public securities, posted a “model net” return of 1 percent in the September three-month period, trimming its loss for the year to 1.6 percent, according to an investor. Viking Global Opportunities Drawdown, which invests only in private assets, reported a 4.2 percent “model net” return, boosting its gain for the year to 8.3 percent, the investor says.

Both funds were profitable in the first quarter and lost money in the second quarter.

Viking tells clients a quarterly net return number isn’t applicable so it calculates a “model net.” Viking declined to comment or elaborate further.

The Opportunities funds have lagged Viking’s public funds this year. Through September, Viking Global Equities, the long-short fund, was up 9.3 percent and Viking Long fund was up 18.2 percent, per an investor.

It is unclear what percentage of the hybrid fund is invested in private companies, but all of the capital not invested in private assets replicates the portfolio of VGE, the firm’s long-short hedge fund. VGE’s performance suggests public securities are driving returns this year.

Viking, a Tiger Cub headed by O. Andreas Halvorsen, currently manages more than $48 billion, according to its website. Its private equity business manages more than $14 billion and has more than 70-plus portfolio companies.

Viking’s private business emphasizes health care and life sciences, “from early compelling science to diversified platforms and late-stage programs with clinical proof of concept,” the website says. The firm also focuses on software and enterprise technology, prioritizing midstage B2B enterprise software companies as well as services: “We identify high-potential companies and top-tier management teams that need flexible capital.”

This year, Viking’s private assets business is on track to make more new investments than last year. It has so far made 14 investments compared with 18 in all of 2023, according to Crunchbase.

Most recently, Viking participated in the $115 million Series B financing round of Triveni Bio, a biotech company that is advancing novel antibody treatments for immunological and inflammatory disorders. Other hedge fund participants included Deep Track Capital, which played a significant role in the financing, and Cormorant Asset Management.

In late September, Viking acquired a minority stake in Humaneva, a spin-off of Neuca SA, for $50 million. Under the deal, Viking was granted a one-year option to invest an additional $50 million in Humaneva, which says it operates “at the intersection of patient care and scientific innovation, offering reliable clinical research data that empowers the medical community.”

Viking Triveni Bio O. Andreas Halvorsen Viking Global Investors Neuca SA