Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC Makes New Investment in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 3,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,033,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of RCL. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter worth about $31,000. GGM Financials LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.1% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial upped 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. Mizuho set a $379.00 target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.29.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.54, for a total transaction of $76,475,593.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,435,910 shares in the company, valued at $5,120,443,401.40. The trade was a 1.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total transaction of $2,562,053.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 32,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,695,121.06. The trade was a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935 in the last quarter. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 4.7%

NYSE RCL opened at $287.26 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $304.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.94. 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 $77.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

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 represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.62%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.