Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Takes Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,722,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 14.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 9,327 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,200 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $73,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 74.3% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 4,601 shares of the company’s stock worth $816,000 after acquiring an additional 1,962 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $388,000. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 26,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,684,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on RCL shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Macquarie increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.58.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 5.9 %

RCL stock opened at $177.60 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $47.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17. The business’s 50-day moving average is $234.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.43. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $125.06 and a fifty-two week high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share 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, analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total transaction of $15,193,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the insider now owns 21,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,539,648.30. This represents a 41.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company 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.