Janus Henderson Group PLC Purchases 936,609 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 3,544.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 963,034 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 936,609 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.36% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $222,166,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Junto Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 135.7% during the 4th quarter. Junto Capital Management LP now owns 535,218 shares of the company's stock worth $123,469,000 after purchasing an additional 308,113 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 10,641 shares of the company's stock worth $2,455,000 after acquiring an additional 1,211 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth about $693,000. Ethic Inc. raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 115.3% in the fourth quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 9,272 shares of the company's stock worth $2,139,000 after acquiring an additional 4,965 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 34.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 784,338 shares of the company's stock worth $180,939,000 after acquiring an additional 202,756 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of RCL stock traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $250.02. 1,434,029 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,288,422. The business has a 50 day moving average of $210.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $229.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $130.08 and a 52 week high of $277.08. The company has a market capitalization of $67.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.39, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. The business had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.77 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.92%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price 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. Loop Capital raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 5th. Melius Research raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.30.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total value of $3,925,805.12. Following the sale, the insider now owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at $5,539,648.30. This represents a 41.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total value of $4,447,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 42,127 shares in the company, valued at $11,021,265.74. This represents a 28.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 89,992 shares of company stock valued at $23,566,445. Insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company 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.