SageView Advisory Group LLC Takes $406,000 Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• SageView Advisory Group LLC has taken a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. by purchasing 1,977 shares worth approximately $406,000 in the first quarter.
• Royal Caribbean recently reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $4.38, exceeding analysts' expectations, and has set its FY 2025 EPS guidance in the range of 15.410-15.550.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $1.00 per share, representing a yield of 1.1%, up from the previous $0.75 dividend.

SageView Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 1,977 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $406,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.7% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,332,682 shares of the company's stock worth $273,786,000 after acquiring an additional 59,743 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 32,334 shares of the company's stock worth $6,643,000 after purchasing an additional 2,129 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth about $301,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL traded down $13.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $337.20. 2,071,042 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,885,540. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $164.01 and a one year high of $366.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $337.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.11.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 47.15% and a net margin of 20.97%.The company had revenue of $4.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.21 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 25th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 25th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's payout ratio is 22.49%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on RCL. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $302.00 to $367.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Susquehanna reissued a "positive" rating and set a $385.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $327.14.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 5,207 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were 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 approximately $2,578,432.22. The trade was a 39.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 16,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.02, for a total value of $4,976,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 150,291 shares of the company's stock, valued at $46,743,506.82. This trade represents a 9.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 31,507 shares of company stock worth $10,091,282. 6.95% of the stock is owned by company 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.