First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. Sells 261 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lowered its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 3.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,293 shares of the company’s stock after selling 261 shares during the quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $944,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. West Branch Capital LLC increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 367.2% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 313 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 11,753 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.01, for a total value of $1,363,465.53. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 166,537 shares in the company, valued at $19,319,957.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.63, for a total value of $6,981,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 153,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,365,763.71. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 11,753 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.01, for a total value of $1,363,465.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 166,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,319,957.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 71,697 shares of company stock valued at $9,749,357. 8.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on RCL. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Barclays increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $164.00 to $168.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $141.71.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

RCL opened at $138.21 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54. The stock has a market cap of $35.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 2.49. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $70.58 and a 12-month high of $143.62. The business has a 50 day moving average of $131.98 and a 200-day moving average of $118.89.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.44. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 51.54% and a net margin of 14.28%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.23) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 11.13 earnings per share for the current year.

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.