Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 117.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,008 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,384 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $7,845,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on RCL shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $305.00 to $295.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Macquarie raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $283.53.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL traded down $1.95 during trading on Friday, hitting $213.59. The company had a trading volume of 4,740,051 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,632,598. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $125.06 and a 12 month high of $277.08. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $57.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $218.26.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 previous year, the business posted $1.25 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

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

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.