Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $353.30.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on RCL shares. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $327.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Citigroup upped 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 report on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were 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 approximately $71,513,217.82. This represents a 29.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total transaction of $113,355,118.14. Following the transaction, the director owned 16,681,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,311,186,488.54. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935 over the last 90 days. 6.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Montag A & Associates Inc. lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 184.4% in the fourth quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 91 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of RCL opened at $273.90 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 12-month low of $164.01 and a 12-month high of $366.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $299.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $292.33. 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 stock has a market cap of $74.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.93.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $1.50 dividend. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.44%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is 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.