GTS Securities LLC Trims Stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

GTS Securities LLC cut its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 91.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,359 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,358 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Vise Technologies Inc. increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 121.6% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 6,036 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,392,000 after acquiring an additional 3,312 shares during the period. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 95.8% during the 4th quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd now owns 9,912 shares of the company's stock worth $2,289,000 after purchasing an additional 4,850 shares during the last quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 173.9% in the fourth quarter. Pinkerton Retirement Specialists LLC now owns 5,024 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,159,000 after buying an additional 3,190 shares during the period. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 905.0% in the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 201 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $41,868,055.10. The trade was a 10.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group set a $311.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius Research upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Loop Capital upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $295.00 to $275.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $272.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $271.95.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $255.01. The company had a trading volume of 952,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,269,348. The company has a market capitalization of $69.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $130.08 and a 1 year high of $277.08. 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's 50-day moving average price is $218.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.69.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.77 earnings per share. On average, sell-side 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 initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

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

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.