Loop Capital Upgrades Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) to Strong-Buy

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) was upgraded by investment analysts at Loop Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on NCLH. Mizuho reduced their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Northcoast Research lowered shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $18.00 target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $14.00 target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $27.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued 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 target price of $21.11.

Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE NCLH opened at $18.16 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $18.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $20.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 12-month low of $14.53 and a 12-month high of $27.18. The company has a market cap of $8.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.89.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by $0.08. Norwegian Cruise Line had a return on equity of 47.84% and a net margin of 5.66%.The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.07 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Research analysts anticipate that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Zillah Byng-Thorne bought 25,015 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $17.67 per share, for a total transaction of $442,015.05. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,811 shares in the company, valued at $1,763,660.37. The trade was a 33.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO John Chidsey purchased 153,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $16.37 per share, for a total transaction of $2,504,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,139,940 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,660,817.80. This represents a 15.50% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders bought 212,467 shares of company stock worth $3,500,904. Corporate insiders own 0.41% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Norwegian Cruise Line

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 130.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 909 shares during the period. Finally, Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.