Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Bought by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 103.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 96,607 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,176 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $22,287,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Asset Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,429 shares of the company’s stock valued at $560,000 after buying an additional 1,039 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 3,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 1,017 shares during the period. Andina Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $764,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 15,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,542,000 after acquiring an additional 603 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 3,256 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.62, for a total value of $763,922.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,348 shares in the company, valued at $5,243,287.76. This represents a 12.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.62, for a total transaction of $53,732,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,556,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,335,253,633.20. The trade was a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 372,609 shares of company stock worth $87,647,208. 7.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 11.8 %

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $264.71 on Wednesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $113.10 and a 1 year high of $269.96. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $237.87 and its 200-day moving average is $199.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.19. The company has a market cap of $71.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.21, a PEG ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 2.59.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 52.92% and a net margin of 16.21%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 11.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were given a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $257.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $252.31.

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.