Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Purchased by Wealthspire Advisors LLC

Wealthspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,195 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter worth about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $244.10 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.59. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $121.18 and a 1-year high of $277.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $244.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.68.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.06%.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total transaction of $4,447,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,021,265.74. The trade was a 28.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total transaction of $15,193,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,514,907.30. This represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on RCL. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Argus upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of 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, Mizuho restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $284.12.

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.