Swedbank AB Grows Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 58.2% during the 2nd quarter, acquiring an additional 38,459 shares, which brought their total ownership to 104,498 shares valued at approximately $32.7 million.
• Recent insider trades showed significant decreases in ownership, with Director Richard D. Fain selling 16,000 shares and Director Vagn O. Sorensen selling 10,300 shares, totaling over $10 million in sales combined.
• Royal Caribbean Cruises announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.75 to $1.00, representing a yield of 1.2%, with payment scheduled for October 13th.

Swedbank AB raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 58.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 104,498 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 38,459 shares during the period. Swedbank AB's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $32,723,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Optimum Investment Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $311.00 to $353.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $302.00 to $367.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $330.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $235.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $326.95.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of RCL traded up $3.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $329.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,627,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,852,686. The stock has a market cap of $89.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 2.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $164.01 and a 52 week high of $366.50. The company's fifty day moving average price is $336.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $274.21.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.04 by $0.34. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 20.97% and a return on equity of 47.15%. The company had revenue of $4.54 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.21 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.410-15.550 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 5.550-5.650 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 25th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 25th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.49%.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, Director Vagn O. Sorensen sold 10,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.04, for a total value of $3,399,412.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,407 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,414,966.28. This represents a 38.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 5,207 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.47, for a total transaction of $1,715,550.29. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 7,826 shares in the company, valued at $2,578,432.22. This represents a 39.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 31,507 shares of company stock worth $10,091,282 in the last three months. 6.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.