Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Price Target Cut to $23.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley cut its price target on Norwegian Cruise Line to $23 (from $24) and kept an "equal weight" rating, implying roughly a 13.8% upside from the current price (~$20.21).
• NCLH reported Q1 EPS of $0.28 (beating $0.27) but revenue of $2.24B missed consensus, and the company set Q1 2026 EPS guidance at 0.160 and FY 2026 EPS guidance at 2.380.
• Analyst consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $25.58 (2 Strong Buy, 10 Buy, 10 Hold, 1 Sell); however, the company carries high leverage (debt-to-equity 6.21) and low liquidity (current ratio 0.21).

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $24.00 to $23.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective suggests a potential upside of 13.81% from the company's current price.

NCLH has been the subject of several other research reports. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $32.00 to $28.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $25.58.

Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NCLH stock traded up $0.05 on Thursday, reaching $20.21. 8,033,130 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 22,132,527. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.21. Norwegian Cruise Line has a twelve month low of $15.31 and a twelve month high of $27.18. The company has a market capitalization of $9.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.23, a PEG ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 2.11. The business's 50 day moving average price is $21.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $21.56.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.27 by $0.01. Norwegian Cruise Line had a net margin of 4.31% and a return on equity of 50.05%. The company had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.26 earnings per share. Norwegian Cruise Line's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Norwegian Cruise Line has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.160-0.160 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.380-2.380 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 18,110 shares of the company's stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 96,848 shares of the company's stock worth $2,162,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 16.6% during the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the company's stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 52,142 shares of the company's stock worth $1,164,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, New Mexico Educational Retirement Board grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 20,700 shares of the company's stock worth $462,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. 69.58% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NYSE: NCLH is a global cruise operator offering a portfolio of premium brands that includes Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The company provides sea voyages and related onboard services such as dining, entertainment, shore excursions and destination experiences. Its fleet of modern vessels sails to more than 400 destinations across all seven continents, serving leisure travelers with itineraries ranging from short Caribbean getaways to extended world voyages.

Founded in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, the company pioneered the concept of “Freestyle Cruising,” which allows passengers greater flexibility in dining schedules, entertainment choices and onboard activities.

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