Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Maritza Gomez Montiel Sells 1,385 Shares of Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.18, for a total value of $453,144.30. Following the sale, the director owned 12,849 shares in the company, valued at $4,203,935.82. This represents a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $319.11 on Thursday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $164.01 and a 12 month high of $366.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $300.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.15.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The company had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on RCL. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial cut their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $318.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Barclays increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board upgrade: Royal Caribbean appointed Christopher J. Wiernicki (former Chairman & CEO of American Bureau of Shipping) to its board, which adds industry regulatory and maritime expertise that could benefit long‑term operations and safety/governance oversight. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/media attention: Forbes published a take weighing RCL as potentially undervalued given growth, cash flow and margins, while Zacks highlighted increased investor attention and momentum scores — coverage that can attract buyers but is not a near‑term catalyst by itself. Forbes Article Zacks Article
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling — Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 180,000 shares on Feb. 17 (~$58.5M) and 100,000 shares on Feb. 13 (~$32.7M). Massive sales by a director can put downward pressure on the stock and raise short‑term concern about insider conviction. Wilhelmsen SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider disposals — Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares (~$2.56M) and director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares (~$453k) on Feb. 17. Multiple insider sales in the same window amplify selling signal to the market. Bethge SEC Filing Gomez Montiel SEC Filing

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 184.4% during the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 91 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.