Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL – Free Report) by 4.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,416,098 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 62,803 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $458,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. EWA LLC increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.6% in the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 794 shares of the company’s stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, AA Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.5% in the third quarter. AA Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $868,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Trending Headlines about Royal Caribbean Cruises
Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Celebrity Cruises opened bookings for its 2028 Galapagos expeditions on the Forbes-rated Celebrity Flora — a product launch that supports demand, advance bookings and higher-margin expedition itineraries for RCL’s premium brands. CELEBRITY CRUISES’ 2028 GALAPAGOS EXPEDITIONS ARE OPEN FOR BOOKING
- Positive Sentiment: Analysis shows RCL has outperformed the broader consumer cyclical sector over the past year and analysts remain moderately optimistic about its outlook — supportive for investor confidence if macro headwinds subside. Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock: Is RCL Outperforming the Consumer Cyclical Sector?
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights RCL as a strong value stock on metrics such as valuation and style scores, which may attract value-focused buyers amid recent weakness. Here’s Why Royal Caribbean (RCL) is a Strong Value Stock
- Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity: investors bought roughly 17,450 put contracts today (about 80% above average). Heavy put buying can signal hedging or speculative bearish bets; the implication for the stock depends on whether this reflects broad negative sentiment or short-term hedging. (No external link)
- Negative Sentiment: Macro pressures — surging oil prices and heightened geopolitical tensions — are being cited as the primary catalysts for the sector-wide selloff, pressuring valuations and raising fuel-cost concerns for cruise operators like RCL. A Look At Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) Valuation As Oil And Geopolitical Risks Pressure Cruise Stocks
- Negative Sentiment: Coverage summarizing sector pain shows Carnival, RCL and others were hit as oil and geopolitics roiled the group — reinforcing near-term downside risk until fuel costs or geopolitical risk recede. CCL, RCL, NCLH Stocks Slammed as Oil Prices Surge and Geopolitical Tensions Roil Cruise Sector
Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 1.9%
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. The company had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.
Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is presently 38.44%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.18, for a total transaction of $453,144.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 12,849 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,203,935.82. This trade represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total transaction of $2,562,053.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,695,121.06. This represents a 19.33% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935. Corporate insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
RCL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.29.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Royal Caribbean Cruises
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.
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