Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 21,640 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. reduced its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 475,850 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,640 shares during the period. Royal Caribbean Cruises accounts for about 1.0% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $109,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 804.3% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,205 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,968,000 after purchasing an additional 26,865 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,047,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the period. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC now owns 24,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,720,000 after purchasing an additional 1,822 shares during the period. Finally, Conning Inc. grew its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 17.7% during the fourth quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 1,390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of RCL opened at $264.39 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $113.10 and a 1-year high of $277.08. The company has a market capitalization of $71.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $242.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $205.28.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.58%.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.62, for a total value of $53,732,600.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 18,556,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,335,253,633.20. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 3,256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.62, for a total transaction of $763,922.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,243,287.76. This trade represents a 12.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 372,609 shares of company stock worth $87,647,208. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RCL has been the topic of several research reports. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Mizuho restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 price objective (down from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 21, 2024, it operated 65 ships. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.