AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Sells 50,660 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd decreased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 23.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 164,215 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,660 shares during the quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.06% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $53,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 39,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,453,000 after acquiring an additional 4,558 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 11.1% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 433,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,595,000 after purchasing an additional 43,184 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at $4,806,000. WESPAC Advisors LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth $522,000. Finally, Marion Wealth Management bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth $291,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.76, for a total transaction of $309,936.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,010,571.84. This represents a 7.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of RCL opened at $291.98 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $79.63 billion, a PE ratio of 19.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.94. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $164.01 and a 52-week high of $366.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $279.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $304.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a current ratio of 0.16.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $5.75 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.68 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $5.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.16 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.33% and a return on equity of 44.68%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.20 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $342.00 to $324.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $367.00 to $357.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $400.00 to $380.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.76.

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.