Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH), the world’s third largest cruise shipping group, said that its three brands – Norwegian Cruise Line in the contemporary market, Oceania Cruises in the premium sector and Regent Seven Seas in the luxury segment – continue to enjoy strong demand.
“The strong global demand for our portfolio of brands which we experienced during 2017 has continued, as demonstrated by the successful, record-breaking launch of Norwegian Bliss, which entered the fleet as the best booked Norwegian Cruise Line newbuild in the history of our company,” said Mark Kempa, interim chief financial officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., in a statement.
“While our primary focus continues to be to delever to the low three times by year-end 2018, our recently announced $1 billion share repurchase program reflects our ongoing confidence in our financial position and the long-term strength of our business as well as our commitment to provide meaningful capital returns to our shareholders.”
The company slightly increased its 2018 earnings per share (EPS) guidance, to $4.55-$4.70 from an earlier guidance of $4.45-$4.65.