Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 47,031,574 shares, a growth of 33.4% from the February 26th total of 35,261,833 shares. Currently, 10.4% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 28,320,106 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.7 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NCLH has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Barclays cut their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Norwegian Cruise Line from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $26.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $25.63.

Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Performance

NCLH stock traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.52. 24,174,350 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,841,762. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a PE ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 2.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $21.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $21.94. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 52 week low of $14.21 and a 52 week high of $27.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.21, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a current ratio of 0.21.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.27 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.34 billion. Norwegian Cruise Line had a return on equity of 50.05% and a net margin of 4.31%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.26 earnings per share. Norwegian Cruise Line has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.160-0.160 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.380-2.380 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Norwegian Cruise Line will post 1.48 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 1,505.9% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,793,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,625,000 after buying an additional 6,370,241 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 56,177,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,253,886,000 after acquiring an additional 3,728,929 shares in the last quarter. Ariel Investments LLC grew its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 36.2% during the second quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 12,369,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $250,851,000 after acquiring an additional 3,288,207 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP increased its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 338.8% during the 3rd quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 3,690,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,893,000 after acquiring an additional 2,849,349 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 43.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,520,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $190,179,000 after acquiring an additional 2,586,395 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Norwegian Cruise Line

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board refresh and cooperation agreement with Elliott should reduce activist friction and improve governance stability — the company added five independent directors under a cooperation agreement. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Announces Board Refreshment
• Neutral Sentiment: Formal truce and planned board overhaul help execution oversight, but details on how the board will drive operational fixes are limited. Norwegian Cruise Line to Overhaul Board After Truce With Elliott
• Neutral Sentiment: New CEO John W. Chidsey signed an employment and RSU award agreement — provides leadership continuity but includes sizable equity that ties pay to performance and could dilute. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Enters into Employment and Equity Award Agreements with President and CEO
• Neutral Sentiment: Company highlights tech and systems updates aimed at efficiency gains — potentially positive for margins but benefits may take time to realize. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) Updates Systems to Drive Efficiency
• Negative Sentiment: Rising fuel costs tied to the Iran conflict are an immediate earnings headwind and cited as a key reason the stock is falling despite the Elliott deal. Norwegian Cruise Line Strikes Deal With Elliott, Revamps Board. Why the Stock Is Still Falling.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst notes and company commentary indicate operational execution gaps; management’s turnaround plan may not produce meaningful improvement until 2027, leaving short-term results under pressure. NCLH Leans on Turnaround Strategy: Is Performance Set to Improve?
• Negative Sentiment: Large potential CEO equity awards (reports suggest up to ~$48M) could concern investors about dilution and cost even if meant to align incentives. New NCLH CEO: $1.7 Million Salary, Potentially $48+ Million in Stock

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.