Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Stock Price

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $30 to $28 but kept a "buy" rating, still implying roughly a 41.3% upside from the current share price (~$19.82).
• Multiple brokerages have trimmed targets, leaving a consensus analyst view of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $25.45, while the company shows high leverage (debt/equity ~6.21).
• Institutional investors have been adding positions significantly—AQR, Capital International and Morgan Stanley among them—and institutions now own about 69.6% of the stock.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by Stifel Nicolaus from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price objective suggests a potential upside of 41.29% from the stock's current price.

NCLH has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $25.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Susquehanna dropped their price target 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. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $31.00 to $26.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 2nd. Bank of America decreased their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $30.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norwegian Cruise Line has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $25.45.

Norwegian Cruise Line Trading Down 2.2%

NCLH opened at $19.82 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.21, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.18. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $22.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $22.22. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 1-year low of $14.21 and a 1-year high of $27.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 2.00.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.01. Norwegian Cruise Line had a return on equity of 50.05% and a net margin of 4.31%.The business had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.26 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts expect that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Norwegian Cruise Line

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 1,505.9% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,793,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,625,000 after buying an additional 6,370,241 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 56,177,669 shares of the company's stock worth $1,253,886,000 after acquiring an additional 3,728,929 shares in the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 36.2% during the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 12,369,377 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,851,000 after acquiring an additional 3,288,207 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 338.8% in the 3rd quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 3,690,333 shares of the company's stock valued at $90,893,000 after acquiring an additional 2,849,349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,520,548 shares of the company's stock valued at $190,179,000 after acquiring an additional 2,586,395 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company's stock.

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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