Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Rating Increased to Hold at Sanford C. Bernstein

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) was upgraded by stock analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “hold” rating in a report released on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on NCLH. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Norwegian Cruise Line to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Northcoast Research cut shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.95.

Norwegian Cruise Line Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NCLH opened at $19.17 on Wednesday. Norwegian Cruise Line has a fifty-two week low of $14.53 and a fifty-two week high of $27.18. The stock has a market cap of $8.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.11, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.21. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.28.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Norwegian Cruise Line had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 47.84%. The business had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.07 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Stephen G. Pagliuca bought 695,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $18.16 per share, with a total value of $12,621,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 703,912 shares in the company, valued at $12,783,041.92. This represents a 7,798.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Z. Cohen bought 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $15.83 per share, for a total transaction of $474,900.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 38,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $615,976.96. This represents a 336.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought 1,592,467 shares of company stock worth $28,493,204 in the last quarter. 0.41% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwegian Cruise Line

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 18,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $404,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 96,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 52,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 20,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc grew its position in Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 28,603 shares of the company’s stock worth $638,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Norwegian Cruise Line

Here are the key news stories impacting Norwegian Cruise Line this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Stephen Pagliuca bought a combined 1.38 million shares over two days, spending roughly $24.7 million. Big insider buying often signals management confidence in the company’s outlook and can lift sentiment. Director Stephen Pagliuca buys $25m in NCLH shares
• Positive Sentiment: Loop Capital initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $22 price target, implying room for upside from recent trading levels. Loop Capital coverage note on Norwegian Cruise Line
• Positive Sentiment: The stock has also been supported by the company’s recent earnings beat, with EPS of $0.23 topping estimates and revenue up 9.6% year over year, reinforcing the case that business trends remain solid. Why Is Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) Up 7% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Bernstein started NCLH at Market-Perform with an $18 target, which is roughly in line with the stock and suggests limited short-term conviction. Bernstein bullish on top cruise pick Viking, Norwegian gets market-perform rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Management also said 2027 will be a “transition year” amid current pressures, which keeps some caution in the outlook even as investors focus on the insider buying and analyst support. Norwegian Cruise sees 2027 as ‘transition year’ despite current pressures

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.