HCA Health Inc vs Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd — how do they compare? HCA Health Inc trades at $410.7 (market cap $89.08B), while Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd trades at $19.03 (market cap $8.59B). The key difference: HCA Health Inc is far larger — about 10.4× Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd's market cap, and HCA Health Inc pays a 0.76% dividend while Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| HCA | NCLH | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $89.08B | $8.59B |
Sector | Health | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $545.13 | $26.94 |
52-Week Low | $361.32 | $14.79 |
Enterprise Value | $139.62B | $23.40B |
Dividend Yield | 0.76% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
HCA Healthcare trades at $414.03, up 0.16% today, with strong technical momentum as price sits above key support levels. The company demonstrates solid fundamentals with Q2 2026 earnings beating estimates, revenue growth to $75.6B in 2025, and consistent dividend payments. Recent management appointments signal strategic focus on clinical operations and ambulatory services.
HCA presents a compelling investment case with attractive valuation (P/E 13.8), analyst consensus price target of $449.93 (8.7% upside), and strong institutional support. However, risks include ongoing legal investigations, rising expenses impacting margins, and high debt levels at 80.9% debt-to-asset ratio that could constrain financial flexibility.
NCLH trades at $19.09, up 2.91% today, with a bearish technical signal but recent earnings beats. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $0.48, exceeding the $0.4115 estimate, and revenue growth has improved from $4.8B in 2022 to $9.83B in 2025. However, net income margin declined to 4.3% in 2025 from 9.6% in 2024, and high debt levels remain a concern with total liabilities of $18.54B against equity of $1.43B.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is a Buy with a $20.73 price target, but risks include volatile fuel costs, macroeconomic pressures on travel demand, and execution of turnaround plans. The stock offers value with a P/E of 11.33, yet investor sentiment is cautious due to recent guidance cuts and bearish technical indicators.
Trailing returns across standard periods
HCA Healthcare is a Nashville-based healthcare provider organization operating the largest collection of acute-care hospitals in the U.S. As of December 2021, the firm owned and operated 182 hospitals, 125 freestanding outpatient surgery centers, and a broad network of physician offices, urgent care clinics, and freestanding emergency rooms across nearly 20 states and a small foothold in England.
Read more on HCA →Norwegian Cruise Line is the world's third-largest cruise company by berths (at more than 62,000), operating 29 ships across three brands (Norwegian, Oceania, and Regent Seven Seas), offering both freestyle and luxury cruising. The company has redeployed its entire fleet as of May 2022. With eight passenger vessels on order among its brands through 2027 (representing 20,000 incremental berths), Norwegian is increasing capacity faster than its peers, expanding its brand globally. Norwegian sailed to around 500 global destinations before the pandemic.
Read more on NCLH →