14,855 Shares in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Purchased by Woodline Partners LP

Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 14,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,427,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 2,036 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Ostrum Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Ostrum Asset Management now owns 11,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,678,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the company's stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 533 shares of the company's stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,358 shares of the company's stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related 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 sale, the director now owns 165,421 shares in the company, valued at approximately $41,868,055.10. This trade represents a 10.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 6.5%

Shares of RCL stock traded up $15.53 on Tuesday, hitting $255.65. The stock had a trading volume of 2,726,497 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,273,753. The business has a 50 day moving average of $216.74 and a 200 day moving average of $231.42. The stock has a market cap of $69.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $130.08 and a 12-month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.77 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RCL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Macquarie cut their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $230.00 price target for the company. UBS Group set a $311.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $265.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $305.00 to $245.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $271.95.

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.