AQR Capital Management LLC Sells 39,544 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 36.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 68,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 39,544 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $15,756,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RCL. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,036 shares of the company's stock worth $470,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Ostrum Asset Management boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Ostrum Asset Management now owns 11,610 shares of the company's stock worth $2,678,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $630,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Hemington Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 533 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,358 shares of the company's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total transaction 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were 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 owns 143,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,514,907.30. This represents a 28.83 % 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 in the last three months. Insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of RCL opened at $230.03 on Monday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $209.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.55. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $62.47 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $130.08 and a 12-month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.77 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is 24.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on RCL shares. Argus increased 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 report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $249.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Loop Capital raised Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $272.55.

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.

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