Cetera Investment Advisers Raises Stock Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 61,937 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,770 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $14,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 29,712,610 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,854,905,000 after buying an additional 278,860 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,072,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,476,003,000 after acquiring an additional 2,068,114 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,969,532 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,373,856,000 after purchasing an additional 353,893 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $707,833,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,364,794 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,534,000 after purchasing an additional 319,264 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,539,648.30. This trade represents a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at $37,514,907.30. The trade was a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of RCL stock opened at $233.69 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $208.59 and its 200 day moving average is $228.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market cap of $63.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.86, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $130.08 and a 52-week high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on RCL. Northcoast Research began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, April 25th. They set a “buy” rating and a $279.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Loop Capital raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Argus boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.30.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company 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.