Valmark Advisers Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Valmark Advisers Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,282 shares of the company’s stock after selling 66 shares during the quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter valued at $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 185,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,491,190.28. This represents a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on RCL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America increased 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 report on Wednesday, November 13th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $261.62 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $70.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $243.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $210.31. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $113.10 and a one year high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.58%.

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.