Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Stock Rating Upgraded by Loop Capital

Key Points

• Loop Capital upgraded Norwegian Cruise Line to a strong-buy rating, adding to a mixed but generally cautious analyst backdrop for the stock.
• The company’s latest quarter showed EPS of $0.23, beating expectations, while revenue came in at $2.33 billion, slightly below estimates but still up 9.6% year over year.
• Insiders have been buying shares, including CEO John Chidsey and Director Jonathan Z. Cohen, while institutional investors continue to hold the majority of the stock.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Loop Capital to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Susquehanna reduced their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America cut their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $18.00 price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norwegian Cruise Line has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $21.11.

Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Performance

NYSE:NCLH opened at $18.16 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75. The stock's 50-day moving average is $18.28 and its 200-day moving average is $20.28. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 1-year low of $14.53 and a 1-year high of $27.18.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.36 billion. Norwegian Cruise Line had a return on equity of 47.84% and a net margin of 5.66%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.07 earnings per share. Norwegian Cruise Line has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.380-0.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.450-1.790 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norwegian Cruise Line

In other Norwegian Cruise Line news, CEO John Chidsey purchased 153,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.37 per share, with a total value of $2,504,610.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 1,139,940 shares in the company, valued at $18,660,817.80. This represents a 15.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Z. Cohen purchased 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $15.83 per share, for a total transaction of $474,900.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 38,912 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $615,976.96. This trade represents a 336.62% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 212,467 shares of company stock valued at $3,500,904. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norwegian Cruise Line

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 56,177,669 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,253,886,000 after buying an additional 3,728,929 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,846,173 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,527,000 after purchasing an additional 157,974 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,304,827 shares of the company's stock worth $363,924,000 after purchasing an additional 66,329 shares during the period. Elliott Investment Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the first quarter worth approximately $246,578,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,205,008 shares of the company's stock worth $271,951,000 after purchasing an additional 262,086 shares during the period. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Norwegian Cruise Line Company Profile

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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