Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen Sells 180,000 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 180,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.09, for a total value of $58,516,200.00. Following the sale, the director owned 17,887,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,815,049,650.63. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, February 13th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 100,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.58, for a total transaction of $32,658,000.00.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 2.7%

RCL stock opened at $310.20 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $301.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $303.20. The company has a market cap of $83.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $164.01 and a fifty-two week high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. The business 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 25.62%.

Key Headlines Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Solid fundamentals: RCL reported Q4 EPS that met estimates, posted strong margins and record net income for the year; the board boosted the quarterly dividend and authorized a $2.0B buyback — supports longer‑term shareholder value. MarketBeat RCL
• Positive Sentiment: Governance/industry expertise added: appointment of Christopher J. Wiernicki to the board increases maritime and regulatory experience, which could help operations and risk oversight. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/media attention is favorable overall — most sell‑side analysts remain constructive with an average price target above current levels, and outlets are debating whether RCL is undervalued or fairly priced. Forbes Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and recent YTD performance remain supportive (high institutional ownership and positive YTD returns), which can limit downside if fundamentals stay intact. MarketBeat institutional
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil: crude near multi‑month highs raises the risk of higher unhedged fuel costs — with RCL’s notable debt load, a sustained oil move can compress margins, cash flow and valuation multiples. Benzinga oil article
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling: directors executed sizable sales over the past week (notably Arne A. Wilhelmsen’s 180k and 100k share filings and other director disposals), which markets often view as a negative signal for near‑term sentiment. Wilhelmsen SEC Filing Benzinga sale summary
• Negative Sentiment: Additional smaller director sales (Laura Bethge, Maritza Gomez Montiel) amplify the impression of insider disposition in the same window. Bethge SEC Filing Gomez Montiel SEC Filing

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 6,063 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $299,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at $287,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth $259,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on RCL shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $318.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Susquehanna set a $350.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $360.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

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.