Rathbones Group PLC Buys 351,746 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Rathbones Group PLC lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 15,633.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 353,996 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 351,746 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC owned approximately 0.13% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $81,663,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $470,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the company’s stock worth $630,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 5.9 %

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $177.60 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $125.06 and a 12-month high of $277.08. The company has a market cap of $47.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.61, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $234.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $225.22.

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, beating 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 previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.69%. This is a boost 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 is presently 28.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,539,648.30. The trade was a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the 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 directly owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,514,907.30. This represents a 28.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. 7.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Loop Capital raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.58.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.