Traders Purchase High Volume of Norwegian Cruise Line Put Options (NYSE:NCLH)

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 76,097 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 170% compared to the average daily volume of 28,219 put options.

Norwegian Cruise Line Trading Up 5.0%

NCLH stock opened at $25.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.22. The company has a market cap of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.38, a PEG ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $22.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.60. Norwegian Cruise Line has a 52 week low of $14.21 and a 52 week high of $27.18.

Institutional Trading of Norwegian Cruise Line

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NCLH. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 16.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,377,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $231,637,000 after buying an additional 1,468,075 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 26.4% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 109,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,402,000 after buying an additional 22,996 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 64.5% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 61,040 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,362,000 after acquiring an additional 23,936 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 143.6% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 109,825 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,451,000 after acquiring an additional 64,743 shares during the period. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 15,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $349,000 after acquiring an additional 824 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Norwegian Cruise Line

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

• Positive Sentiment: Elliott’s engagement and a rapid CEO change (appointment of John W. Chidsey) signal potential strategic and governance improvements that investors often view favorably; this is presented as a possible turning point for the company. Elliott Pressure And New CEO Put Norwegian Cruise Line At Turning Point
• Positive Sentiment: Management is expanding capacity with newbuild orders (fleet plans to add 17 newbuilds), which supports long‑term revenue growth if demand remains strong. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Orders New Ships
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews and heightened Zacks/Yahoo interest highlight widely watched Q4 metrics (occupancy, pricing, fuel and costs); these previews set expectations that could limit upside if results merely meet forecasts. Zacks: NCLH Is Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry peers (Carnival/CCL) reported record pricing and strong bookings, underlining robust leisure demand but increasing competitive benchmarking for pricing and yield comparisons. CCL Sees Record Pricing Despite Weak Sentiment
• Neutral Sentiment: Smaller peers’ mixed results (e.g., Lindblad’s Q4 loss but revenue beat) provide limited directional insight for NCLH beyond confirming varied margin pressure across segments. Lindblad Expeditions Q4 Report
• Negative Sentiment: Former NCL executive arrested by Interpol on fraud allegations — potential reputational and regulatory risk; impact depends on company involvement and disclosures. Former Norwegian Cruise Line Executive Arrested
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: a ~170% jump in put volume (76,097 puts) signals short-term bearish positioning or hedging pressure that can amplify downside on weak news. (Market data item)
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut NCLH to “Strong Sell,” a material downgrade that can pressure sentiment and trigger further selling from momentum- or quant-driven strategies. Wells Fargo Cut to Strong Sell
• Negative Sentiment: Reported large institutional exit (Benchstone/portfolio manager sold ~2.1M shares), indicating at least one significant holder reducing exposure, which can weigh on near-term supply/demand. Fool: Large Fund Exit

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $20.00 target price (down from $28.00) on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research downgraded Norwegian Cruise Line from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Norwegian Cruise Line presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $26.32.

About Norwegian Cruise Line

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.