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

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) by 21.2%, owning a total of 66,039 shares valued at $13.57 million.
• Royal Caribbean announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.00 per share, up from $0.75, reflecting a 1.2% yield.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $4.38, surpassing expectations, and raised its FY 2025 EPS guidance to between 15.410 and 15.550.

Swedbank AB lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 21.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,039 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,550 shares during the period. Swedbank AB's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $13,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of RCL. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Optimum Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter valued at $39,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 3.7%

RCL stock opened at $337.20 on Monday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $164.01 and a one year high of $366.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.59 billion, a PE ratio of 25.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 2.12. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $337.06 and a 200-day moving average of $271.34.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.21 EPS. The business's revenue 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. As a group, analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Loop Capital reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $290.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $405.00 price target for the company. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $385.00 price target (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $230.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $235.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.14.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 16,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.02, for a total value of $4,976,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 150,291 shares in the company, valued at $46,743,506.82. This trade represents a 9.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Vagn O. Sorensen sold 10,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.04, for a total transaction of $3,399,412.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,414,966.28. This represents a 38.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,507 shares of company stock worth $10,091,282. Company insiders own 6.95% of the company's stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company 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.

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