FourThought Financial Partners LLC Acquires Shares of 2,619 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

FourThought Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $604,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RCL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised 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. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Mizuho restated an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 price target (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Argus raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total transaction of $4,447,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,127 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,021,265.74. This trade represents a 28.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 0.1 %

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $237.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $119.48 and a fifty-two week high of $277.08. The company has a market capitalization of $64.02 billion, a PE ratio of 22.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $244.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $214.47.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 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 period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises 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.