Stephens Inc. AR Sells 1,117 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Stephens Inc. AR decreased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 36.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,117 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $440,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in RCL. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $262.99 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $70.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $113.10 and a 1 year high of $277.08. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $243.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $208.77.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 prior year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is 20.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 3,256 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.62, for a total transaction of $763,922.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 22,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,243,287.76. This trade represents a 12.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 392,109 shares of company stock worth $92,652,468 over the last three months. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RCL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $290.00 price target for the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.12.

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.