Liberty Wealth Management LLC Has $230,000 Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Liberty Wealth Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 31.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 999 shares of the company’s stock after selling 462 shares during the quarter. Liberty Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $230,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE RCL opened at $207.34 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $242.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $219.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $125.06 and a twelve month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.06%.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Tigress Financial upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Macquarie upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $283.53.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total value of $3,925,805.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at $5,539,648.30. The trade was a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705 over the last ninety days. 7.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.