Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Bought by National Pension Service

National Pension Service increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 138.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 864,049 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 502,349 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $199,327,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of RCL. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 14.1% during the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 10,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,896,000 after purchasing an additional 1,319 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 10.3% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 5,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 538 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 68.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 19,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,403,000 after buying an additional 7,817 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter valued at $241,000. Finally, PFG Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth $258,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total value of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Mizuho restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four equities 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.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $237.88 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 stock has a market cap of $64.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.59. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $214.47. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $119.48 and a 1-year 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 net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is 28.06%.

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.