Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Position Decreased by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 11.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 35,670 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,389 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $11,559,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth $1,021,893,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,604,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,270,252,000 after purchasing an additional 929,414 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at $172,488,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7,971.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 540,222 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,165,000 after purchasing an additional 533,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 91.7% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,087,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,590,000 after buying an additional 520,353 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total value of $2,562,053.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,695,121.06. This trade represents a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 51,131 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.39, for a total value of $16,739,778.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 28,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,204,897.24. This represents a 64.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 722,164 shares of company stock worth $233,668,845. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 1.6%

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $315.34 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $164.01 and a 1-year high of $366.50. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $302.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $303.14. The company has a market capitalization of $85.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.91.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This is a boost 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is currently 25.62%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued 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. Wall Street Zen downgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.29.

More Royal Caribbean Cruises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 (annualized $6.00); ex‑dividend/record/pay dates disclosed — a cash return boost that supports shareholder sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized $2.0 billion share buyback program—management signaling conviction in long‑term value, which can support the stock and EPS. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Board upgrade — appointment of Christopher J. Wiernicki adds maritime/regulatory expertise that could improve governance and operational oversight. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive: several firms have raised targets or reiterated buys (consensus price target near $348), which can attract investor interest but is not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive media/momentum stories (Zacks, FXEmpire) highlight RCL as a long‑term value/flow beneficiary — may support continued inflows but not a near‑term driver by itself. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large, repeated insider selling by director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen across Feb. 13–19 (multiple transactions totaling hundreds of thousands of shares, tens of millions of dollars) — a clear short‑term negative signal that has pressured the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider disposals (Laura H. Bethge, Maritza Gomez Montiel) in the same window amplify the selling signal and raise near‑term concern about insider conviction. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude / fuel costs: coverage flags that oil near multi‑month highs can hit margins quickly for cruise operators (especially with notable leverage), creating downside risk to earnings and multiples. Read More.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.