J. Goldman & Co LP Purchases 2,176 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

J. Goldman & Co LP lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 31,264 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,176 shares during the period. J. Goldman & Co LP’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $7,212,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $707,833,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,072,316 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,476,003,000 after purchasing an additional 2,068,114 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3,544.4% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 963,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $222,166,000 after purchasing an additional 936,609 shares during the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 24.0% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 2,653,258 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,080,000 after purchasing an additional 513,702 shares during the period. Finally, National Pension Service boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.9% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 864,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,327,000 after buying an additional 502,349 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 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.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup upped 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. Susquehanna decreased 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. Tigress Financial upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $271.30.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $233.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $208.59 and a 200-day moving average of $228.36. The firm has a market capitalization 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 12 month low of $130.08 and a 12 month high of $277.08.

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. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.77 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.28%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.92%.

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.