Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd trades at $14.89 (market cap $7.07B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.94 (market cap $40.80B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is far larger — about 5.8× Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd's market cap, and Yum! Brands, Inc. pays a 2.01% dividend while Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| NCLH | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $7.07B | $40.80B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $26.94 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $14.79 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $21.88B | $52.40B |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.01% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) trades at $15.39, down 1.16% with bearish technical signals but attractive valuation metrics including a P/E of 9.33 and P/S of 0.74. The company has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, though Q3 2026 faces a higher bar at $0.89 EPS. Recent news highlights fuel cost pressures from rising oil prices, contributing to the stock's recent decline despite positive operational developments like new waterpark openings and fleet expansion.
NCLH presents a value opportunity with strong profitability metrics (36.73% ROE) and analyst consensus price target of $20.25 (32% upside), but faces significant risks from fuel cost volatility, high leverage (debt-to-asset ratio 64.79%), and competitive pressure. The company's turnaround plan focusing on cost controls and fleet optimization must overcome macroeconomic headwinds to drive sustained recovery.
YUM trades at $149.59, down 0.74% on the day, with a bearish technical signal and neutral oscillators. The company reported revenue of $8.21B and net income of $1.56B in 2025, with a P/E ratio of 18.83. Recent developments include the sale of Pizza Hut for approximately $1.5B to LongRange Capital, with proceeds aimed at debt reduction and share buybacks, alongside a declared $0.75 quarterly dividend.
The outlook is mixed: analyst consensus is a buy with a $173.60 price target, but high debt and a legal investigation pose risks. Earnings have beaten expectations in two of the last three quarters, with Q3 2026 results pending. The stock offers potential upside from strategic refocusing and buybacks, balanced against consumer spending pressures and leverage concerns.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
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 →Yum Brands is a U.S.-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (26,930 global units), Pizza Hut (18,380 units), Taco Bell (7,790 units), and The Habit Burger (310 units) at year-end 2021. With $58 billion in 2021 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world, behind McDonald's ($112.5 billion) but ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($36 billion) and Starbucks ($25 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, created via a 2016 spinoff transaction (after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity). Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon Brands, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.
Read more on YUM →