McIlrath & Eck LLC Acquires 181 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

McIlrath & Eck LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 905.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 201 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $46,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 68.6% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $601,000 after buying an additional 1,060 shares in the last quarter. Principal Street Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth $220,000. Waverly Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth $348,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 18,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,265,000 after acquiring an additional 4,854 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $3,427,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Loop Capital upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $249.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Northcoast Research started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, April 25th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $279.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $271.95.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $253.10, for a total value of $4,960,760.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 165,421 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $41,868,055.10. This trade represents a 10.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $237.77 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.12. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $130.08 and a 1-year high of $277.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $214.31 and its 200 day moving average is $230.60.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. The firm had revenue of $4 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.77 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.92%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.