Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Trims Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. reduced its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter, bringing its total holdings to 35,942 shares valued at approximately $11.25 million.
• Several equities research analysts raised their price targets for Royal Caribbean Cruises, with Bank of America increasing its target from $230 to $355, while Stifel Nicolaus set a buy rating and a new target of $420.
• Royal Caribbean Cruises announced a quarterly dividend increase, now at $1.00, which equates to an annual yield of 1.3%, marking a rise from the previous $0.75 dividend.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. cut its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 16.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,942 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,098 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.'s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $11,255,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CX Institutional raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 2,423 shares of the company's stock worth $759,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tritonpoint Wealth LLC now owns 4,531 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,422,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 5,023 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,573,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the period. Okabena Investment Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Okabena Investment Services Inc. now owns 4,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,816 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,633,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on RCL shares. Bank of America raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $230.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Barclays raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $263.00 to $358.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $235.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $400.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $330.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $326.95.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $314.39 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $164.01 and a fifty-two week high of $366.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $331.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $282.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The firm has a market cap of $85.40 billion, a PE ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 2.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The company reported $4.38 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.21 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises's quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 25th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.75. Royal Caribbean Cruises's payout ratio is 29.99%.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 5,207 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $329.47, for a total value of $1,715,550.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 7,826 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,578,432.22. This trade represents a 39.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Vagn O. Sorensen sold 10,300 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director owned 16,407 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,414,966.28. The trade was 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. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.