Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Has $14.87 Million Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 9.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,954 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the quarter. Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $14,870,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter worth $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.1% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 85.2% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $58,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of RCL stock opened at $332.78 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.18. The company has a market capitalization of $90.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.32, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.91. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $164.01 and a 52-week high of $366.50. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $295.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.60.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board 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 represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 25.62%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on RCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Susquehanna set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

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.