Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Purchased by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,720 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $1,089,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in RCL. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 48.0% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,283 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after acquiring an additional 740 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $323,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 353 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $207.34 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $242.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $219.25. The stock has a market cap of $55.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. 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 $125.06 and a one year high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.06%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on RCL. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Macquarie upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Argus increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $283.53.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total value of $15,193,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at $5,539,648.30. This trade represents a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705 over the last quarter. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.