Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) shares gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $25.41, but opened at $26.46. Norwegian Cruise Line shares last traded at $26.73, with a volume of 2,258,547 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NCLH shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Norwegian Cruise Line from $19.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. UBS Group raised their price target on Norwegian Cruise Line from $19.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $25.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Norwegian Cruise Line presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.27.

Norwegian Cruise Line Price Performance

The stock's 50-day moving average is $25.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.99. The company has a market capitalization of $11.83 billion, a PE ratio of 24.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 2.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.35.

Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.05. Norwegian Cruise Line had a return on equity of 99.31% and a net margin of 5.87%. The firm had revenue of $2.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.71 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. will post 1.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Norwegian Cruise Line

In other news, insider Andrea Demarco sold 29,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.76, for a total transaction of $805,040.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 97,304 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,701,159.04. This trade represents a 22.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Mark Kempa sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.86, for a total value of $417,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 253,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,059,333.96. The trade was a 5.59 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 82,344 shares of company stock worth $2,269,731. 0.52% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norwegian Cruise Line

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baillie Gifford & Co. purchased a new stake in Norwegian Cruise Line in the third quarter worth about $179,146,000. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 864.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 3,864,600 shares of the company's stock worth $79,263,000 after purchasing an additional 3,464,100 shares during the period. Columbus Hill Capital Management L.P. bought a new position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line during the second quarter valued at approximately $23,479,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 32.9% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,568,122 shares of the company's stock valued at $85,835,000 after buying an additional 1,129,770 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Norwegian Cruise Line during the second quarter valued at approximately $15,213,000. Institutional investors own 69.58% of the company's stock.

Norwegian Cruise Line Company Profile

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cruise company in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company operates through the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. It offers itineraries ranging from three days to a 180-days calling on various ports, including Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Alaska, Canada and New England, Hawaii, Asia, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, India, South America, the Panama Canal, and the Caribbean.