Norwegian Cruise Line lifts outlook after record second-quarter revenue

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings raised its outlook for 2024 after scooping up record revenue in a second quarter that beat analyst estimates.

The Miami cruise giant said it now expects to earn an adjusted net income of $790m for the full year, up from a prior estimate of $730m.

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That translates into an increase of adjusted earnings per share guidance to $1.53 from $1.42, above the average Wall Street forecast calling for $1.44 and more than double what the company logged in 2023.

The stronger outlook came in a second-quarter report that saw Norwegian report a bottom line profit of $163m, an increase on $86.1m a year earlier that was attributed to a combination of strong revenue growth and cost-cutting efforts.

“2024 continues to be an exceptional year in terms of our financial performance, as evidenced by our strong second quarter results which exceeded guidance across the board,” chief executive Harry Sommer said.

“As we raise our full-year guidance a third time, we expect our adjusted EPS to grow approximately 120% compared to 2023, driven mainly by our ability to capitalise on the robust market demand and ensuring our guests are vacationing better and experiencing more across our brands.”

Norwegian reported adjusted net income, which excludes factors not tracked by analysts, of $204m, up from $137m in the second quarter of 2023.

That translated into $0.40 in adjusted EPS, which beat that average analyst bet of $0.35 and was at the top of the range of Wall Street forecasts.

Revenue of $2.4bn was an 8% jump from the same period of last year and an all-time high for the New York-listed operator, which is the third largest of Miami’s Big 3 cruise players.

“The momentum we are garnering from strong yield growth, disciplined cost management and the initiatives that comprise our Charting the Course strategy further bolsters our confidence in achieving our previously announced 2026 financial and sustainability targets,” Sommer said.