5,521 Shares in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Purchased by United Services Automobile Association

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association invested $1.15 million in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. by acquiring 5,521 shares during the first quarter of the year.
• Royal Caribbean's stock received multiple upgrades from various analysts, with price targets raised significantly, indicating a positive outlook for the company's future performance.
• The company recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $4.38, exceeding analysts' expectations and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 10.4%.

United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,146,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,674,763 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,890,943,000 after acquiring an additional 602,447 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 21.8% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,991,079 shares of the company's stock valued at $614,487,000 after acquiring an additional 535,043 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the first quarter valued at approximately $358,614,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 22,154.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,410,962 shares of the company's stock valued at $289,868,000 after acquiring an additional 1,404,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 14.9% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 992,579 shares of the company's stock valued at $203,915,000 after acquiring an additional 128,530 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 3.7%

Shares of NYSE:RCL traded down $13.03 on Friday, reaching $337.20. 2,071,042 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,465,072. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $337.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $270.24. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $164.01 and a 52 week high of $366.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 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 (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $4.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.21 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the subject of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $235.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Loop Capital reissued a "buy" rating and set a $290.00 price objective (up from $250.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and issued a $385.00 price objective (up previously from $275.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. One equities 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.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $327.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 16,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Vagn O. Sorensen sold 10,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.04, for a total value of $3,399,412.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,407 shares in the company, valued at $5,414,966.28. The trade was a 38.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 31,507 shares of company stock valued at $10,091,282 over the last ninety days. 6.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.