Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Bought by M&T Bank Corp

Key Points

• M&T Bank raised its stake in Royal Caribbean by 187.2% in Q4, owning 31,755 shares worth about $8.86 million, while institutional investors collectively hold roughly 87.53% of the stock.
• Royal Caribbean has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $352.89, though several brokers (JPMorgan, UBS, Morgan Stanley) recently trimmed their price targets.
• Insiders have been selling heavily—Director Arne Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares and insiders disposed of ~1.97M shares (~$626.7M) last quarter—yet the company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 (annualized $6.00, ~2.3% yield).

M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 187.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 31,755 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,700 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $8,857,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.9% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 32,949,976 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,662,989,000 after acquiring an additional 308,330 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,066,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,728,810,000 after acquiring an additional 461,990 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,576,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,433,052,000 after acquiring an additional 84,202 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,474,766 shares of the company's stock valued at $800,785,000 after acquiring an additional 65,714 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.6% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,416,098 shares of the company's stock valued at $458,221,000 after acquiring an additional 62,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on RCL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $376.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group cut their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $321.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $330.00 to $310.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $352.89.

Key Stories Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Falling oil prices improve margin outlook for cruise operators by lowering fuel expense, a large operating cost for Royal Caribbean; analysts and market commentators are flagging cruise names as attractive beneficiaries of cheaper fuel. 3 Cruise Stocks to Buy as Oil Prices Plummet
• Positive Sentiment: Average brokerage recommendations for RCL sit around a Buy, which can support demand for the shares and act as a sentiment anchor for investors. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Is Considered a Good Investment by Brokers: Is That True?
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and comparative reviews (broader market writeups) are noting RCL alongside peers; these pieces raise awareness but don't present new catalysts. Reviewing Royal Caribbean Cruises NYSE: RCL & The Generation Essentials Group NYSE: TGE
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect revenue and EPS growth, but multiple previews (Zacks/Yahoo) suggest Royal Caribbean may lack the components typically associated with an earnings beat next week — a mixed signal that keeps upside limited near term. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week's Release
• Negative Sentiment: Heightened Middle East tensions around the Strait of Hormuz raise the risk of supply disruptions and higher bunker fuel costs or transport detours — an input shock that would hit margins and leisure demand if sustained. Strait Of Hormuz Tensions Add Fuel Cost Question For Royal Caribbean
• Negative Sentiment: Recent intra‑week weakness and a short pullback in the stock reflect volatility and profit‑taking after prior gains, highlighting that sentiment can reverse quickly on macro or sector headlines. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises 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 sale, the director owned 16,435,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,120,443,401.40. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.18, for a total value of $453,144.30. Following the sale, the director owned 12,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,203,935.82. This represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock worth $626,681,935. 6.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 2.3%

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $266.32 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $71.42 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $284.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.21. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $203.85 and a 52 week high of $366.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.44%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company 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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