Czech National Bank Purchases 2,718 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 66,876 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,718 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $18,653,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Avanza Fonder AB grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Avanza Fonder AB now owns 19,828 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,530,000 after acquiring an additional 2,247 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Marshall Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $690,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 5,405 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,508,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of RCL opened at $273.73 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $74.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.87. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $164.01 and a 12 month high of $366.50. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $300.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $295.30.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Mizuho set a $379.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $353.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total value of $113,355,118.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,681,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,311,186,488.54. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total transaction of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 218,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $71,513,217.82. This trade represents a 29.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock worth $626,681,935. Corporate insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises 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.