Wiser Advisor Group LLC Grows Stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Wiser Advisor Group LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,359 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Wiser Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $313,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of RCL. National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.9% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 864,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,327,000 after acquiring an additional 502,349 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth $69,556,000. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2,042.8% in the fourth quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 122,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,349,000 after acquiring an additional 117,152 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.2% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,703,000 after acquiring an additional 93,899 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth $14,544,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 3.3 %

RCL stock opened at $246.04 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $244.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $215.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $121.58 and a fifty-two week high of $277.08. The company has a market cap of $66.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.59.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.06%.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total value of $3,925,805.12. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 21,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,539,648.30. This trade represents a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total value of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at $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 valued at $28,571,705 over the last quarter. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on RCL shares. Bank of America increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Loop Capital began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises 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.