Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• Crossmark Global Holdings cut its Royal Caribbean Cruises stake by 63% in the fourth quarter, selling 24,633 shares and ending with 14,490 shares worth about $4.0 million.
• Insider selling has been notable, including sales by Laura H. Bethge and director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen; insiders sold a total of 1.97 million shares worth about $626.7 million last quarter.
• Despite the selling, Royal Caribbean posted better-than-expected earnings of $3.60 per share on $4.45 billion in revenue, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $351.42.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 63.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,490 shares of the company's stock after selling 24,633 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $4,042,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company's stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company's stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 6,063 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,762,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,494,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter worth approximately $357,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total transaction of $2,562,053.34. Following the sale, the insider owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at $10,695,121.06. This represents a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.54, for a total transaction of $76,475,593.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,435,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,120,443,401.40. This represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935 in the last quarter. Insiders own 6.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $321.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $376.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $296.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $351.42.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

RCL stock opened at $274.97 on Monday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $277.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.91. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $230.45 and a 12-month high of $366.50. The firm has a market cap of $73.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.20 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $4.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.46 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 45.25%. The firm's revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.830-3.930 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.100-17.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.29 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.61%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises NYSE: RCL, operating as part of the Royal Caribbean Group, is a global cruise company that develops, markets and operates passenger cruise ships. The company operates multiple consumer-facing cruise brands that offer short- and long-duration itineraries and a range of onboard experiences. Its core activities include itineraries and voyage operations, guest services and hospitality, onboard food and beverage, entertainment and recreation programming, and the commercial activities needed to sell and support cruises through both direct and travel‑agent channels.

Royal Caribbean's ships serve a broad set of geographies worldwide, regularly deploying vessels in the Caribbean, North America (including Alaska), Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.

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