Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Stock Holdings Lessened by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 36.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,907 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,117 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $440,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of RCL. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 10,599.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 409,879 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,696,000 after purchasing an additional 406,048 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.2% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,835 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,703,000 after purchasing an additional 93,899 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter worth $14,544,000. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3,935.2% during the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 76,871 shares of the company's stock worth $13,635,000 after purchasing an additional 74,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 372.6% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 86,259 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,299,000 after purchasing an additional 68,008 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 139,353 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $237.89, for a total value of $33,150,685.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 18,167,507 shares in the company, valued at $4,321,868,240.23. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $5,005,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business posted $1.25 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $253.00 target price (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Macquarie increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $284.12.

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.