Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Norwegian Cruise (NCLH) to Operate at 85% Capacity by Q1 End

Read MoreHide Full Article

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH - Free Report) recently provided a business update. The spread of the Omicron variant at the beginning of December 2021, resulted in the cancellation of certain voyages in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. The Omicron variant has also led to the postponement of the restart of certain vessels.

As of Feb 8, 2022, 16 of its 28 ships, or 70% of its berth capacity, are operational with guests onboard. By the end of first-quarter 2022, the company expects to operate at approximately 85% of berth capacity. By the end of second-quarter 2022, the company anticipates operating with the full fleet.

At the beginning of fourth-quarter 2021, the company witnessed week-over-week sequential growth in net booking volumes. However, in the later part of fourth-quarter 2021, booking volumes were negatively impacted by the Omicron variant. In recent weeks, net booking volumes have continued to improve sequentially.

The company announced that pricing for the first half, the second half as well as full-year 2022 are above the record levels for the same time in 2019. The company has been witnessing strong booking demand for 2023.

The company’s monthly cash burn for fourth-quarter 2021 was roughly $345 million, marginally lower than its prior estimate of $350 million. The company expects to report a net loss for fourth-quarter 2021 and full year.

The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have fallen 14.8% in the past three months, compared with the industry’s decline of 12.6%.

Zacks Investment ResearchImage Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Picks

Some better-ranked stocks from the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector are Crocs, Inc. (CROX - Free Report) , RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. (RICK - Free Report) and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (JAKK - Free Report) . You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Crocs flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 41.6%, on average. Shares of Crocs have increased 31.7% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CROX’s 2022 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 48.7% and 23.2%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels.

RCI Hospitality flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 67.7%, on average. Shares of RCI Hospitality have surged 40.3% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RICK’s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 33.7% and 18.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels.

JAKKS Pacific flaunts a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 48.9%, on average. Shares of JAKKS Pacific have increased 9.9% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JAKK’s 2022 sales and EPS suggests growth of 4.9% and 227.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels.

Published in