Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Invests $493,000 in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has made a new investment in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., purchasing 2,403 shares valued at approximately $493,000.
• Research analysts have generally given Royal Caribbean Cruises a positive outlook, with the stock receiving eighteen buy ratings, one strong buy rating, and a current average target price of $321.10.
• The company reported earnings of $4.38 per share for the last quarter, exceeding expectations and showing a 10.4% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter last year.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,403 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $493,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Optimum Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 1.2%

RCL traded down $3.75 on Friday, reaching $314.12. 2,827,375 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,306,951. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $302.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.09. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $130.08 and a 52-week high of $355.91. The company has a market cap of $85.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.55, a PEG ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 2.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 0.23 and a quick ratio of 0.21.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.04 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.54 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 47.15%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.21 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th were given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is 22.49%.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 5,207 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $329.47, for a total value of $1,715,550.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,826 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,578,432.22. The trade was a 39.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $253.10, for a total transaction of $4,960,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 165,421 shares of the company's stock, valued at $41,868,055.10. This represents a 10.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 6.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RCL has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $405.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group set a $311.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $235.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Susquehanna restated a "positive" rating and set a $385.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Wednesday. Finally, William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $321.10.

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.