Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Acquired by Sanders Capital LLC

Sanders Capital LLC increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 85.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,835,116 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,231,864 shares during the period. Royal Caribbean Cruises accounts for 1.3% of Sanders Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Sanders Capital LLC owned about 1.81% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $1,285,464,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter worth about $321,332,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 293,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,261,000 after purchasing an additional 14,018 shares during the last quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth about $3,586,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $650,000. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter valued at about $18,080,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 1.3%

NYSE RCL traded up $4.13 on Friday, reaching $326.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,534,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,123,895. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $222.22 and a 52 week high of $356.39. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $275.23 and its 200-day moving average is $287.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market cap of $87.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.35, a PEG ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.88.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.38 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $5.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.61 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 43.40% and a net margin of 23.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.75 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 17th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 17th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Arne Wilhelmsen sold 220,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.29, for a total transaction of $72,443,800.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,215,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,339,737,003.90. This trade represents a 1.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Maritza Montiel sold 400 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.21, for a total transaction of $122,884.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,202 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,055,786.42. This represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 250,400 shares of company stock valued at $82,263,584. Corporate insiders own 6.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $330.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $297.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Freedom Broker raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $351.00 to $379.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Susquehanna increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $355.00 to $360.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $362.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $355.62.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Profile

Royal Caribbean Group, formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., is a global cruise vacation company. Its brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises, which offer voyages ranging from large-ship family vacations to premium and luxury experiences.

The company serves travelers through itineraries to destinations around the world, including the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska and Asia. Its vacation offerings combine onboard accommodations, dining and entertainment with shore excursions and visits to ports and private destinations.

Founded in 1968, the company is headquartered in Miami, Florida.