Capital International Ltd. CA Buys 17,385 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Capital International Ltd. CA boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 155,590 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,385 shares during the period. Royal Caribbean Cruises comprises approximately 1.5% of Capital International Ltd. CA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Capital International Ltd. CA’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $35,893,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on RCL shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $276.95.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

RCL stock opened at $192.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $51.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $218.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.35. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $127.10 and a 1 year high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.06%.

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

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total transaction of $3,925,805.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 21,155 shares of the company’s stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. This represents a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

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.