Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 37,487 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 63.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,729 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,487 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $5,013,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $50,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE RCL traded up $5.51 on Friday, hitting $255.62. 2,298,337 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,291,017. The company has a market cap of $69.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.91, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $130.08 and a 12 month high of $277.08. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $211.08 and a 200-day moving average of $229.44. 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 (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.02 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total value of $3,925,805.12. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,539,648.30. This trade 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total transaction of $15,193,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 89,992 shares of company stock valued at $23,566,445. Corporate insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Northcoast Research initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, April 25th. They set a "buy" rating and a $279.00 price target for the company. Loop Capital raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target 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 stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $271.30.

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.