Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Sold by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 69.3% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 72,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 162,752 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $23,314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RCL. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.9% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 39,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,453,000 after acquiring an additional 4,558 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 11.1% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 433,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $135,595,000 after purchasing an additional 43,184 shares in the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $522,000. Marion Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $291,000. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.3% in the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 137,099 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,802,000 after buying an additional 8,121 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $276.06 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $275.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $306.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market cap of $75.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 1.94. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $164.01 and a 12 month high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $5.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $5.68 by $0.07. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.33% and a return on equity of 44.68%. The firm had revenue of $5.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2025 guidance at 15.580-15.630 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.740-2.790 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.90%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on RCL shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Susquehanna set a $350.00 price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $420.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $334.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $326.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,100 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.76, for a total value of $309,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 14,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,010,571.84. The trade was a 7.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 6.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.