1,975 Shares in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Acquired by Ascent Group LLC

Key Points

• Ascent Group LLC recently acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) worth approximately $406,000, purchasing 1,975 shares in the first quarter.
• Royal Caribbean announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.00, up from $0.75, showcasing a solid dividend payout ratio of 22.49%.
• Analysts have raised target prices for Royal Caribbean, with Tigress Financial setting a new target at $415.00 and reaffirming a "buy" rating.

Ascent Group LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,975 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of RCL. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Optimum Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on RCL. Bank of America increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $230.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $385.00 target price (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. TD Cowen began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $235.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 5,207 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.47, for a total value of $1,715,550.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,578,432.22. This trade represents a 39.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Vagn O. Sorensen sold 10,300 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.04, for a total value of $3,399,412.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,414,966.28. The trade was a 38.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,507 shares of company stock worth $10,091,282. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of NYSE:RCL traded down $13.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $337.20. 2,071,042 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,885,540. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $337.06 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $271.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 0.23 and a quick ratio of 0.21. The stock has a market cap of $91.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.28, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $164.01 and a fifty-two week high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.04 by $0.34. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 47.15% and a net margin of 20.97%.The company had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.21 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.410-15.550 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 5.550-5.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 25th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 25th. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.49%.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.