Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Stake Lowered by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans decreased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,966 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,074 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $5,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RCL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Macquarie upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.53.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 4.8 %

NYSE RCL opened at $225.83 on Tuesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $125.06 and a twelve month high of $277.08. The stock has a market cap of $60.78 billion, a PE ratio of 21.13, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $239.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $222.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total value of $4,447,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,021,265.74. The trade was a 28.75 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total value of $3,925,805.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 21,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,539,648.30. This represents a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 21, 2024, it operated 65 ships. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.