Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC Has $294,000 Stock Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC reduced its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 67.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,272 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,665 shares during the quarter. Gladstone Institutional Advisory LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $294,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 139,353 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.89, for a total transaction of $33,150,685.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,167,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,321,868,240.23. The trade was a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE:RCL traded up $2.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $263.97. 1,356,776 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,209,479. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $113.10 and a 12 month high of $277.08. The stock has a market cap of $70.98 billion, a PE ratio of 24.69, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 2.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $244.20 and a 200 day moving average of $211.17.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's payout ratio is presently 20.58%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on RCL shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein initiated coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $290.00 price objective on the stock. Argus upped their price objective 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. Mizuho restated an "outperform" rating and set a $253.00 target price (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.