Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Acquired by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 48,331 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,498 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $11,149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Anchor Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 175.0% in the 3rd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 203 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter worth about $109,000. American Trust purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth about $204,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 545 shares of the company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,340 shares of the company's stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 633 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $249.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. 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 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target 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. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $262.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $295.00 to $275.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Four research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $272.55.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 4.2 %

NYSE:RCL opened at $230.03 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $209.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $227.19. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $130.08 and a one year high of $277.08. The company has a market capitalization of $62.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. The business had revenue of $4 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.77 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.30%. 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 is currently 28.06%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at $11,021,265.74. This represents a 28.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 143,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,514,907.30. This represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705 over the last quarter. 7.95% of the stock is owned by company 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.

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