Stephens Inc. AR lessened its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 36.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,907 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,117 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,360 shares of the company's stock worth $544,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.3% during the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 457 shares of the company's stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.2% in the third quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the company's stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,117 shares of the company's stock valued at $488,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 613 shares of the company's stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Tigress Financial raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of 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, Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $250.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $284.12.
Read Our Latest Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises
RCL traded up $2.90 on Friday, hitting $262.99. 1,308,339 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,415,259. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $113.10 and a one year high of $277.08. 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 firm has a market cap of $70.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $243.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $209.13.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 EPS for the current year.
The company also recently announced 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 is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises's payout ratio is currently 28.06%.
Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.
In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.62, for a total value of $53,732,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 18,556,860 shares in the company, valued at $4,335,253,633.20. The trade was a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 392,109 shares of company stock valued at $92,652,468. Insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.
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.
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