Investors Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH)

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 76,097 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 170% compared to the typical volume of 28,219 put options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NCLH. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Norwegian Cruise Line in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 130.2% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the period. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Thompson Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the 4th quarter worth about $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NCLH has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $27.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Norwegian Cruise Line from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $21.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Norwegian Cruise Line from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $26.32.

Norwegian Cruise Line Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NCLH traded up $1.19 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $25.00. The company had a trading volume of 19,377,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,856,959. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.06. Norwegian Cruise Line has a twelve month low of $14.21 and a twelve month high of $27.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.22.

Key Norwegian Cruise Line News

Here are the key news stories impacting Norwegian Cruise Line this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Activist pressure and a rapid CEO change create a potential catalyst — Elliott Investment Management has taken a major stake and publicly pushed for board and leadership changes; the company moved quickly to appoint John W. Chidsey as CEO, which investors often view as a catalyst for strategic, operational or capital-structure initiatives. Elliott Pressure And New CEO Put Norwegian Cruise Line At Turning Point
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet expansion signals long-term growth confidence — NCLH ordered newbuilds across its brands, expanding to 17 newbuilds which supports capacity growth and higher future revenue potential as demand recovers. (Capex and delivery timing remain watchpoints.) Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Orders New Ships for Every Line
• Positive Sentiment: Customer retention/marketing initiative — Oceania Cruises launched a referral (Ambassador) program that can incrementally boost bookings and guest loyalty across the group. Oceania Club Ambassador Program
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews highlight improving metrics but mixed signals ahead of Q4 — projections point to rising occupancy, strong pricing and cost control, yet concerns (e.g., negative ESP and a recent sharp rally) could limit upside if results only meet expectations. What Analyst Projections for Key Metrics Reveal About NCLH Q4 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Stock attracting elevated attention and short-term volatility — NCLH has been among the most-searched stocks on Zacks and was noted for outperforming the market recently, which can increase trader-driven moves. NCLH Is Attracting Investor Attention (Zacks)
• Negative Sentiment: Sell-side downgrade could add pressure — Wells Fargo cut NCLH to a “Strong Sell,” a bearish signal that can weigh on sentiment and prompt further selling by cautious investors. NCLH Cut to Strong Sell at Wells Fargo
• Negative Sentiment: Large investor exit — a fund (reported by The Motley Fool) sold its entire position (≈2.13M shares, ~$52.5M), removing a meaningful institutional holder and potentially increasing near-term supply. Benchstone Exited NCLH Position (The Motley Fool)

Norwegian Cruise Line Company Profile

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH) is a global cruise operator offering a portfolio of premium brands that includes Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The company provides sea voyages and related onboard services such as dining, entertainment, shore excursions and destination experiences. Its fleet of modern vessels sails to more than 400 destinations across all seven continents, serving leisure travelers with itineraries ranging from short Caribbean getaways to extended world voyages.

Founded in 1966 by Knut Kloster and Ted Arison, the company pioneered the concept of “Freestyle Cruising,” which allows passengers greater flexibility in dining schedules, entertainment choices and onboard activities.