Yahoo Finance Why Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd’s (NYSE:NCLH) Cash Is A Factor You Need To Consider
If you are currently a shareholder in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH), or considering investing in the stock, you need to examine how the business generates cash, and how it is reinvested. What is left after investment, determines the value of the stock since this cash flow technically belongs to investors of the company. Today we will examine NCLH’s ability to generate cash flows, as well as the level of capital expenditure it is expected to incur over the next couple of years, which will result in how much money goes to you.
View our latest analysis for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings
Is Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings generating enough cash?
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’s free cash flow (FCF) is the level of cash flow the business generates from its operational activities, after it reinvests in the company as capital expenditure. This type of expense is needed for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to continue to grow, or at least, maintain its current operations.
There are two methods I will use to evaluate the quality of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’s FCF: firstly, I will measure its FCF yield relative to the market index yield; secondly, I will examine whether its operating cash flow will continue to grow into the future, which will give us a sense of sustainability.
Free Cash Flow = Operating Cash Flows – Net Capital Expenditure
Free Cash Flow Yield = Free Cash Flow / Enterprise Value
where Enterprise Value = Market Capitalisation + Net Debt
Along with a positive operating cash flow, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings also generates a positive free cash flow. However, the yield of 0.20% is not sufficient to compensate for the level of risk investors are taking on. This is because Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’s yield is well-below the market yield, in addition to serving higher risk compared to the well-diversified market index.
What’s the cash flow outlook for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings?
Does NCLH’s future look brighter in terms of its ability to generate higher operating cash flows? This can be estimated by examining the trend of the company’s operating cash flow moving forward. In the next few years, the company is expected to grow its cash from operations at a single-digit rate of 6.9%, increasing from its current levels of US$1.9b to US$2.1b in three years’ time. Furthermore, breaking down growth into a year on year basis, NCLH is able to increase its growth rate each year, from -2.7% in the upcoming year, to 6.4% by the end of the third year. The overall future outlook seems buoyant if NCLH can maintain its levels of capital expenditure as well.
Next Steps:
Although its positive operating cash flow, and high future growth, is appealing, the low free cash flow yield is unattractive. This is because you would be better compensated in terms of cash yield, by investing in the market index, as well as take on lower diversification risk. Keep in mind that cash is only one aspect of investment analysis and there are other important fundamentals to assess. I suggest you continue to research Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to get a more holistic view of the company by looking at:
Valuation: What is NCLH worth today? Is the stock undervalued, even when its growth outlook is factored into its intrinsic value? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether NCLH is currently mispriced by the market.
Management Team: An experienced management team on the helm increases our confidence in the business – take a look at who sits on Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’s board and the CEO’s back ground.
Other High-Performing Stocks: If you believe you should cushion your portfolio with something less risky, scroll through our free list of these great stocks here.
To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
