AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Sells 152 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 14.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 877 shares of the company’s stock after selling 152 shares during the quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of RCL. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 10,599.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 409,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,696,000 after purchasing an additional 406,048 shares in the last quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2,042.8% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 122,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,349,000 after buying an additional 117,152 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,703,000 after buying an additional 93,899 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $14,544,000. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3,935.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 76,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,635,000 after acquiring an additional 74,966 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on RCL shares. Argus increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Macquarie lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.62, for a total value of $53,732,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 18,556,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,335,253,633.20. The trade was a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 392,109 shares of company stock valued at $92,652,468. 7.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 1.1 %

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $262.99 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $70.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $113.10 and a fifty-two week high of $277.08. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $243.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $209.13.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is presently 20.58%.

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

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.