Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Upgraded to “Hold” at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) to a hold rating in a report released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $22.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Norwegian Cruise Line to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $18.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.55.

Norwegian Cruise Line Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line stock opened at $18.50 on Tuesday. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 1-year low of $14.53 and a 1-year high of $27.18. The stock has a market cap of $8.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.87. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $20.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.18.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) last posted its 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 company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.36 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.07 EPS. Norwegian Cruise Line’s 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. Analysts predict that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Norwegian Cruise Line

In other Norwegian Cruise Line news, Director Stephen G. Pagliuca bought 685,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $18.06 per share, with a total value of $12,371,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,388,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,083,750.72. This represents a 97.31% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jonathan Z. Cohen purchased 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $15.83 per share, with a total value of $474,900.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 38,912 shares in the company, valued at $615,976.96. This trade represents a 336.62% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought 1,592,467 shares of company stock valued at $28,493,204 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwegian Cruise Line

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NCLH. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 2,068,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,176,000 after purchasing an additional 97,825 shares in the last quarter. MKP Capital Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line in the fourth quarter valued at $44,640,000. Penn Capital Management Company LLC boosted its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 27.4% in the 3rd quarter. Penn Capital Management Company LLC now owns 587,762 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,520,000 after purchasing an additional 126,374 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Norwegian Cruise Line in the 4th quarter valued at $46,663,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the first quarter worth about $42,761,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Norwegian Cruise Line

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research lifted its EPS estimates for several future quarters and full years, signaling stronger expected earnings growth for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Norwegian Cruise Line stock page
• Positive Sentiment: FY2026 earnings were nudged higher to $1.51 per share, matching the consensus estimate and reinforcing expectations for steady near-term profitability.
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term estimates also improved, with FY2027 raised to $1.65 and FY2028 to $1.99, which may support investor confidence in the company’s earnings trajectory.
• Neutral Sentiment: Despite the higher estimates, Zacks kept its rating at Hold, indicating the firm sees limited immediate upside relative to risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Separate recent coverage noted that Norwegian Cruise Line was removed from several Russell growth benchmarks, which could reduce passive fund demand and create some technical pressure on the shares. Russell index removals article
• Negative Sentiment: Broader cruise-sector commentary has favored Royal Caribbean and Viking over NCLH, suggesting investors remain cautious about Norwegian Cruise Line’s competitive positioning. Cruise sector analyst article

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.