Stifel Nicolaus Reiterates Buy Rating for Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH)

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $25.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective indicates a potential upside of 35.87% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on NCLH. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $19.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $18.00 price objective on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $14.00 to $15.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.87.

Norwegian Cruise Line Price Performance

NCLH opened at $18.40 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $18.65 and a 200-day moving average of $17.23. The company has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 65.72, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 2.60. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 1-year low of $12.41 and a 1-year high of $22.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.94, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.22.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The company reported ($0.18) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.13) by ($0.05). The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.99 billion. Norwegian Cruise Line had a return on equity of 108.69% and a net margin of 1.94%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.10) EPS. Equities analysts expect that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Norwegian Cruise Line

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Segantii Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,582,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 44.3% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 879,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,491,000 after purchasing an additional 269,849 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,691,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,361,000 after purchasing an additional 126,147 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 165,600 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,729,000 after purchasing an additional 82,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WealthPlan Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,824,000. 69.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.