Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Shares Sold by Two Sigma Securities LLC

Two Sigma Securities LLC decreased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 90.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,946 shares of the company's stock after selling 18,516 shares during the period. Two Sigma Securities LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $449,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total value of $3,925,805.12. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,539,648.30. This represents a 41.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. Insiders own 7.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RCL has been the topic of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $305.00 to $245.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $220.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Mizuho reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $253.00 price target (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $272.55.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

NYSE:RCL traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $214.92. The company had a trading volume of 2,716,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,313,329. The business's 50 day moving average price is $210.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.91. The firm has a market cap of $58.35 billion, a PE ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $130.08 and a 1-year high of $277.08. 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 (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.02 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.77 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business 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 is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.06%.

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.