Rakuten Securities Inc. Purchases 208 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 150.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 346 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $80,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on RCL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Susquehanna cut their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $305.00 to $295.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $283.53.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of RCL stock opened at $207.34 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $242.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.25. 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 market capitalization of $55.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $125.06 and a 12-month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

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 issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at $37,514,907.30. This represents a 28.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.