Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Sold by Calamos Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Calamos Advisors cut its stake in Royal Caribbean by 14.5% in Q4, selling 22,249 shares and leaving 131,653 shares valued at about $36.72 million.
• Large insider selling has occurred recently — CEO Jason Liberty sold 90,910 shares and a director sold 356,026 shares, with insiders offloading 1,967,319 shares worth roughly $626.7 million over the past 90 days.
• Analyst sentiment and dividend: RCL carries a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $352.89 price target, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 (annualized $6.00, ~2.3% yield).

Calamos Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 14.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 131,653 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,249 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $36,721,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,297,000 after acquiring an additional 6,063 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,762,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,494,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $357,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on RCL. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $376.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Mizuho set a $379.00 price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $352.89.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 2.3%

NYSE:RCL opened at $266.32 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $284.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $287.21. The company has a market capitalization 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 company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $203.85 and a 52-week high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.35 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were paid 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total transaction of $29,710,297.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 218,822 shares in the company, valued at $71,513,217.82. This trade represents a 29.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total value of $113,355,118.14. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,681,386 shares in the company, valued at $5,311,186,488.54. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 1,967,319 shares of company stock worth $626,681,935 in the last 90 days. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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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