Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $28.95 Million in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 125,512 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,954,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RCL. Capital A Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $279,000. Armis Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $592,000. Liberty Square Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $182,000. Finally, Formidable Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $254,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on RCL. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $295.00 to $275.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $262.00 price objective on the stock. Macquarie dropped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $300.00 to $265.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.95.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.10, for a total transaction of $4,960,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 165,421 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $41,868,055.10. This trade represents a 10.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

NYSE:RCL traded up $2.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $256.79. The stock had a trading volume of 3,481,638 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,282,854. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $130.08 and a 1-year high of $277.08. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $218.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $231.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.02, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.77 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.17%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is 24.92%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.