By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders purchased 41,401 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 387% compared to the average volume of 8,501 call options.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance
RCL traded down $1.84 during trading on Thursday, hitting $238.46. 420,327 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,319,946. The firm has a market cap of $64.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 2.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.63. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a one year low of $113.10 and a one year high of $258.70. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $229.48 and its 200 day moving average is $186.93.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $5.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.05 by $0.15. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 16.21% and a return on equity of 52.92%. The company had revenue of $4.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.85 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s quarterly revenue was up 17.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 11.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Cuts Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 27th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.92%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 22.61%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.62, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.02, for a total value of $5,250,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 204,521 shares in the company, valued at approximately $42,953,500.42. This trade represents a 10.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 404,332 shares of company stock worth $94,299,521. Corporate insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises
Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 24.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,048,501 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,616,000 after acquiring an additional 400,565 shares during the period. D1 Capital Partners L.P. grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.8% in the third quarter. D1 Capital Partners L.P. now owns 1,570,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,502,000 after purchasing an additional 58,159 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 725,638 shares of the company’s stock valued at $128,699,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 591,552 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,918,000 after purchasing an additional 13,520 shares in the last quarter. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 461,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,690,000 after purchasing an additional 17,601 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $180.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $213.00 to $243.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.75.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises
About Royal Caribbean Cruises
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.
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