Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 556,572 Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. $NCLH

Vanguard Group Inc. lowered its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH) by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 52,688,199 shares of the company’s stock after selling 556,572 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.66% of Norwegian Cruise Line worth $1,297,710,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ariel Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 36.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ariel Investments LLC now owns 12,369,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,851,000 after purchasing an additional 3,288,207 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line during the second quarter worth $49,620,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line during the third quarter valued at $48,545,000. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 72.2% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 4,398,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,198,000 after acquiring an additional 1,844,433 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 130.9% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 2,426,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,211,000 after acquiring an additional 1,375,719 shares during the last quarter. 69.58% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on NCLH shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $20.00 target price (down previously from $28.00) on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup raised their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $29.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Norwegian Cruise Line from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Norwegian Cruise Line presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $26.32.

Norwegian Cruise Line Trading Up 2.4%

NYSE:NCLH opened at $24.30 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $22.61. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has a one year low of $14.21 and a one year high of $27.18. The firm has a market cap of $11.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 2.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.22, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.19.

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.