Laura H. Bethge Sells 3,073 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) insider Laura H. Bethge sold 3,073 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.71, for a total transaction of $518,445.83. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 27,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,620,629.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 1.3 %

RCL stock opened at $164.62 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $78.35 and a one year high of $173.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.20, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market cap of $42.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 0.44 and a beta of 2.62. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $159.04 and its 200 day moving average is $144.57.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The company reported $3.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.05 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 52.49% and a net margin of 16.32%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 11.63 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a — dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 11th. Investors of record on Friday, September 20th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 20th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $165.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $168.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Argus lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $161.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $140.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Tigress Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $155.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $182.13.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 905.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 191 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 233.3% during the second quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

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.