Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 63.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,729 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,487 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $5,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now owns 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 7.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RCL. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $230.00 price objective for the company. BNP Paribas started coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $262.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Macquarie lowered their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $300.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $295.00 to $275.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $271.95.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 1.4%

NYSE RCL traded up $3.61 during trading on Thursday, hitting $254.41. The stock had a trading volume of 1,426,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,274,483. The company has a market capitalization of $69.09 billion, a PE ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. 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 50 day moving average price of $217.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $231.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $130.08 and a twelve month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.77 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 buy up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is currently 24.92%.

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.