Axa S.A. Purchases 1,667 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Axa S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 186,981 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,667 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A. owned approximately 0.07% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $43,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 1248 Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at $1,332,000. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 48,331 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,149,000 after buying an additional 4,498 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 411.4% in the fourth quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 351,256 shares of the company's stock worth $81,031,000 after buying an additional 282,571 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $20,537,000. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $85,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total value of $4,447,540.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,127 shares in the company, valued at $11,021,265.74. This trade represents a 28.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total value of $15,193,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares of the company's stock, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on RCL shares. Melius Research upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Loop Capital raised Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $295.00 to $275.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Argus raised their price objective 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $272.55.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $230.03 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $130.08 and a 1-year high of $277.08. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $209.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $227.36. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $62.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. The business's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.77 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

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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