Capital International Inc. CA Raises Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Capital International Inc. CA lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 587,268 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 28,161 shares during the period. Royal Caribbean Cruises accounts for about 1.5% of Capital International Inc. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Capital International Inc. CA’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $190,028,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. EWA LLC grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.6% during the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 794 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.1% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.0% in the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.5% during the third quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $868,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,695,121.06. This represents a 19.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.18, for a total transaction of $453,144.30. Following the sale, the director owned 12,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,203,935.82. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935. Company insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $290.96 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $304.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $301.83. The company has a market cap of $78.71 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.87. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $164.01 and a twelve month high of $366.50.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is 38.44%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors 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 repurchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.