Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires 6,449 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Royal Caribbean by 7%, purchasing 6,449 shares to hold 97,944 shares valued at about $27.13 million.
• Significant insider selling has occurred recently: CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares and director Arne A. Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares, with insiders totaling 1,967,319 shares sold (~$626.7 million) over the last quarter.
• Analysts rate the stock a Moderate Buy (17 Buys, 4 Holds) with an average target of $349.20, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 (annualized $6.00, yield ~2.3%).

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,944 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,449 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $27,131,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SRH Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. GGM Financials LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on RCL. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $361.00 to $351.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $383.00 to $349.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $349.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total value of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total value of $113,355,118.14. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,681,386 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,311,186,488.54. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935. 6.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

NYSE RCL opened at $260.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $69.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 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. The company's 50 day moving average is $285.37 and its 200-day moving average is $287.56. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $203.85 and a 12-month high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The company had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.44%.

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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