Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Bought by California State Teachers Retirement System

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System dramatically increased its RCL stake by purchasing 118.2 million additional shares, bringing its ownership to 118.5 million shares, or 44.31% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 87.53% of Royal Caribbean Cruises.
• Royal Caribbean reported quarterly EPS of $4.21, exceeding estimates of $3.98, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year to $4.83 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $353.40.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, equivalent to $6.00 annually and a 2.3% yield. CEO Michael Bayley separately sold 12,811 shares at an average price of $315.99.

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 34,251.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 118,498,068 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 118,153,108 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 44.31% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $37,626,692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 36,165,358 shares of the company's stock worth $10,088,156,000 after acquiring an additional 3,215,382 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,549,422,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 20,176,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,627,669,000 after purchasing an additional 920,042 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,576,751 shares of the company's stock worth $3,433,052,000 after purchasing an additional 84,202 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,054,191 shares of the company's stock worth $1,961,758,000 after purchasing an additional 155,491 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Michael Bayley sold 12,811 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total transaction of $4,048,147.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 45,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,313,399.03. This represents a 22.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 6.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on RCL. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $327.00 to $362.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $297.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $304.00 target price on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $372.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $353.40.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE RCL opened at $265.02 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $70.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.38, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.74. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $297.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $232.10 and a 52 week high of $362.79.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.23. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 23.54%.The company had revenue of $4.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $4.38 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises's quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.730-17.870 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.260-6.360 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 17th 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 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 17th. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.08%.

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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