Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $279.58.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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 note on Monday, January 27th. Mizuho reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 price target (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business’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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,514,907.30. The trade was a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $205.60 on Tuesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The company has a market capitalization of $55.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 12 month low of $125.06 and a 12 month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the firm posted $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 EPS 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 paid a $0.75 dividend. 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 1.46%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.