Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Upgraded by Freedom Capital to Strong-Buy Rating

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

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on NCLH. Loop Capital assumed coverage on Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $22.00 price target for the company. Mizuho dropped their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Northcoast Research cut Norwegian Cruise Line from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.95.

Norwegian Cruise Line Trading Up 5.6%

Shares of NCLH stock 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 P/E ratio of 16.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.89. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $20.28. The company has a quick ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75.

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 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 business had revenue of $2.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.07 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, analysts forecast that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jonathan Z. Cohen acquired 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 $615,976.96. This trade represents a 336.62% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Stephen G. Pagliuca acquired 685,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $18.06 per share, with a total value of $12,371,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,388,912 shares in the company, valued at $25,083,750.72. This represents a 97.31% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 1,592,467 shares of company stock worth $28,493,204. 0.41% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Norwegian Cruise Line

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCLH. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings 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 valued at $404,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 96,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 52,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 20,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $462,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 28,603 shares of the company’s stock valued at $638,000 after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the last quarter. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Norwegian Cruise Line News

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

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.