U.S. stocks fell Thursday morning, with the S&P 500 down 0.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average off 0.9%, and the Nasdaq 0.6% lower at about 10:30 a.m. in New York. Initial jobless claims rose by 5,000 in the week ended Feb. 15 to a seasonally adjusted total of 219,000, slightly higher than expected.

Carnival (CCL) (CCL), Norwegian Cruse Lines (NCLH) and Royal Caribbean (RCL) (RCL) shares all declined after U.K. media reported that the number of norovirus patients in English hospitals jumped 22% last week to an all-time high. On Friday, a cruise ship carrying 169 people with the viral disease docked in Florida, NewsNation reported.

Hasbro (HAS) (HAS) stock jumped after unveiling a plan that aims to cut $1 billion in costs through 2027 while achieving "mid-single-digit" sales growth. It will focus on brands with growth potential, girls, emerging markets, and video games.

Meta's (META) recent 20-day rally has propelled the shares to a level where investors may start calling for a stock split, Bloomberg reported. It's the only member of the Magnificent Seven never to have split its stock.

-- Joshua Fellman and William Gavin contributed to this article.