Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Sold by J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lessened its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,882 shares of the company’s stock after selling 506 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $1,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 0.6 %

RCL stock opened at $261.62 on Wednesday. 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 firm has a market cap of $70.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $113.10 and a 1 year high of $277.08. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $210.31.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.58%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RCL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 price target (down 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.12.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total value of $5,005,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 139,353 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.89, for a total transaction of $33,150,685.17. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,167,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,321,868,240.23. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

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.