Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $272.53.

RCL has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $262.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Monday, March 31st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $230.00 target price on the stock. Susquehanna reaffirmed a "positive" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Argus raised their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 185,021 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. Insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RCL. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 511.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,157 shares of the company's stock valued at $498,000 after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,630 shares of the company's stock worth $1,530,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Lorne Steinberg Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at about $231,000. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,969,532 shares of the company's stock worth $1,373,856,000 after purchasing an additional 353,893 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 291,027 shares of the company's stock valued at $67,137,000 after buying an additional 7,740 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL traded up $2.94 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $210.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 685,721 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,322,254. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.63 billion, a PE ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $213.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $225.96. 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 has a 52 week low of $130.08 and a 52 week high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.25 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program 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 programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.