Optas LLC Sells 81 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Optas LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 7.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 976 shares of the company’s stock after selling 81 shares during the quarter. Optas LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Spurstone Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $46,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 2.5%

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $264.56 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $71.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.14. 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 Ltd. has a one year low of $130.08 and a one year high of $279.89. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $234.03 and a 200 day moving average of $234.01.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.02 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.77 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on RCL shares. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $295.00 to $275.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $305.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $249.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Melius Research raised Royal Caribbean Cruises to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.90.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.10, for a total value of $4,960,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 165,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,868,055.10. This trade represents a 10.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.