Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH)’s share price reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $19.00 to $26.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an underweight rating on the stock. Norwegian Cruise Line traded as high as $27.93 and last traded at $27.88, with a volume of 1318006 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $27.82.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Norwegian Cruise Line from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Argus raised Norwegian Cruise Line from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $27.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Faye L. Ashby sold 38,344 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.30, for a total value of $1,046,791.20. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 116,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,174,171. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Mark Kempa sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.86, for a total value of $417,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 253,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,059,333.96. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Faye L. Ashby sold 38,344 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.30, for a total value of $1,046,791.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 116,270 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,174,171. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 82,344 shares of company stock valued at $2,269,731. Corporate insiders own 0.52% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Norwegian Cruise Line

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NCLH. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Norwegian Cruise Line in the first quarter worth $27,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 34.1% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,686 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 489.8% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,188 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,817 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 173.1% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 3,504 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 2,221 shares during the last quarter. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Norwegian Cruise Line Price Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $21.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.95. The company has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a PE ratio of 25.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 2.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.35.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.77 billion. Norwegian Cruise Line had a net margin of 5.87% and a return on equity of 99.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.71 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cruise company in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company operates through the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. It offers itineraries ranging from three days to a 180-days calling on various ports, including Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Alaska, Canada and New England, Hawaii, Asia, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, India, South America, the Panama Canal, and the Caribbean.