California Public Employees Retirement System Increases Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

California Public Employees Retirement System grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 6.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 459,571 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 26,553 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.17% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $148,708,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in RCL. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.4% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. EWA LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. EWA LLC now owns 794 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $868,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 16,681,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,311,186,488.54. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 218,822 shares in the company, valued at $71,513,217.82. The trade was a 29.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock worth $626,681,935. Insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: RCL received high growth-factor grades among S&P consumer discretionary names, highlighting stronger fundamental/growth metrics versus peers — a favorable signal for growth-oriented investors and quant funds. Royal Caribbean Cruises tops growth factor grades among S&P Consumer Discretionary holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks) profiles RCL as a strong growth stock, reinforcing the buy-side narrative around earnings recovery and multi-year demand trends — this can attract momentum and fundamental buyers. Here’s Why Royal Caribbean (RCL) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Celebrity Cruises (part of RCL) announced an expanded river-cruise destination program aimed at premium experiences — a product upgrade that can support higher yields, ancillary revenue and brand differentiation over time. CELEBRITY CRUISES IS REDEFINING RIVER TRAVEL WITH THE INDUSTRY’S MOST EXTENSIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL DESTINATION EXPERIENCES
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock finished higher today despite a weak market session, suggesting selective investor buying in RCL versus broader indices; this reflects short-term positioning more than a clear catalyst. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean is experimenting with novel onboard entertainment (a talent show at sea) intended to support valuation via engagement/ancillary spend — interesting for marketing/branding but the financial impact is uncertain. Royal Caribbean Bets On Talent Show At Sea To Support Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Oil-price volatility and geopolitical risk drove a sector selloff earlier this week, triggering a sharp intraday drop in RCL shares — higher fuel costs are a direct margin risk for cruise operators and amplified the pullback. Royal Caribbean Plunges 6% as Oil Shock Torpedoes Cruise Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Macro headlines (oil spike after Iran-related escalation) pressured broader markets and consumer-exposed sectors, keeping downside risk for RCL until energy/geopolitical volatility cools. Nasdaq leads Wall St lower as oil prices spike on Iran revenge strikes

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $272.44 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $304.16 and its 200 day moving average is $299.78. The company has a market cap of $73.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.16. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $164.01 and a 1 year high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a 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 (DPR) is presently 38.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, December 26th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.29.

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.