MUFG Securities EMEA plc Increases Position in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. $NCLH

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc dramatically increased its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line, boosting its holdings by 11,790.7% in the fourth quarter to 1,028,549 shares worth about $22.96 million.
• Insiders have been buying shares, including CEO John Chidsey, who purchased 153,000 shares in May, and director Zillah Byng-Thorne, who also added to her position; insiders bought 212,467 shares over the last 90 days.
• Analysts remain cautious overall, with several cutting price targets and the stock carrying a consensus "Hold" rating and average price target of $21.06, even after the company beat EPS estimates in its latest quarter.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH - Free Report) by 11,790.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,028,549 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,019,899 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc owned 0.23% of Norwegian Cruise Line worth $22,957,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 18,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 96,848 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,162,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 52,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,164,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 28,603 shares of the company's stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,217 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 530 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John Chidsey purchased 153,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.37 per share, with a total value of $2,504,610.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,139,940 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,660,817.80. This trade represents a 15.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Zillah Byng-Thorne purchased 4,452 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.83 per share, for a total transaction of $79,379.16. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 25,742 shares in the company, valued at $458,979.86. The trade was a 20.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought 212,467 shares of company stock valued at $3,500,904 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $21.06.

Norwegian Cruise Line Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NCLH opened at $18.34 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $8.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.41, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.92. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has a 52 week low of $14.53 and a 52 week high of $27.18. The company's 50-day moving average price is $18.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $20.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.15 by $0.08. Norwegian Cruise Line had a net margin of 5.66% and a return on equity of 47.84%. The company had revenue of $2.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.36 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.07 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Norwegian Cruise Line has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.380-0.380 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 1.450-1.790 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norwegian Cruise Line 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.

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