Earnest Partners LLC Sells 5,542 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Earnest Partners LLC lessened its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 4.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 118,015 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,542 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $38,187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. GGM Financials LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 318.8% in the third quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 134 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.18, for a total transaction of $453,144.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,849 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,203,935.82. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total value of $2,562,053.34. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at $10,695,121.06. This trade represents a 19.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935 over the last ninety days. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RCL received high growth-factor grades among S&P consumer discretionary names, highlighting stronger fundamental/growth metrics versus peers — a favorable signal for growth-oriented investors and quant funds. Royal Caribbean Cruises tops growth factor grades among S&P Consumer Discretionary holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks) profiles RCL as a strong growth stock, reinforcing the buy-side narrative around earnings recovery and multi-year demand trends — this can attract momentum and fundamental buyers. Here’s Why Royal Caribbean (RCL) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Celebrity Cruises (part of RCL) announced an expanded river-cruise destination program aimed at premium experiences — a product upgrade that can support higher yields, ancillary revenue and brand differentiation over time. CELEBRITY CRUISES IS REDEFINING RIVER TRAVEL WITH THE INDUSTRY’S MOST EXTENSIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL DESTINATION EXPERIENCES
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock finished higher today despite a weak market session, suggesting selective investor buying in RCL versus broader indices; this reflects short-term positioning more than a clear catalyst. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean is experimenting with novel onboard entertainment (a talent show at sea) intended to support valuation via engagement/ancillary spend — interesting for marketing/branding but the financial impact is uncertain. Royal Caribbean Bets On Talent Show At Sea To Support Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Oil-price volatility and geopolitical risk drove a sector selloff earlier this week, triggering a sharp intraday drop in RCL shares — higher fuel costs are a direct margin risk for cruise operators and amplified the pullback. Royal Caribbean Plunges 6% as Oil Shock Torpedoes Cruise Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Macro headlines (oil spike after Iran-related escalation) pressured broader markets and consumer-exposed sectors, keeping downside risk for RCL until energy/geopolitical volatility cools. Nasdaq leads Wall St lower as oil prices spike on Iran revenge strikes

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $272.44 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.16. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $164.01 and a 1-year high of $366.50. The company has a market capitalization of $73.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.87. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $304.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $299.78.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.63 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 38.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RCL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $318.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL), operating as part of the Royal Caribbean Group, is a global cruise company that develops, markets and operates passenger cruise ships. The company operates multiple consumer-facing cruise brands that offer short- and long-duration itineraries and a range of onboard experiences. Its core activities include itineraries and voyage operations, guest services and hospitality, onboard food and beverage, entertainment and recreation programming, and the commercial activities needed to sell and support cruises through both direct and travel‑agent channels.

Royal Caribbean’s ships serve a broad set of geographies worldwide, regularly deploying vessels in the Caribbean, North America (including Alaska), Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.