Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Buys New Stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,161 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $271,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.9% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 864,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $199,327,000 after purchasing an additional 502,349 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at $69,556,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2,042.8% during the 4th quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 122,887 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,349,000 after buying an additional 117,152 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,835 shares of the company's stock worth $28,703,000 after acquiring an additional 93,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth $14,544,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises 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 $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,539,648.30. This represents a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705 in the last 90 days. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 0.9 %

RCL traded down $1.95 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $213.59. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,740,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,632,598. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $125.06 and a 1 year high of $277.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. The stock's 50-day moving average is $243.51 and its 200-day moving average is $218.26.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Argus boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $253.00 price objective (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $283.53.

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.