Life Planning Partners Inc Makes New Investment in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Life Planning Partners Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 23,069 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,322,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 10,599.0% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 409,879 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,696,000 after buying an additional 406,048 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 138.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,835 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,703,000 after acquiring an additional 93,899 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at $14,544,000. Dakota Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3,935.2% in the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 76,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,635,000 after purchasing an additional 74,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 372.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 86,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,299,000 after purchasing an additional 68,008 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 139,353 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $237.89, for a total value of $33,150,685.17. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,167,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,321,868,240.23. This represents a 0.76 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 3,256 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.62, for a total transaction of $763,922.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,348 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,243,287.76. The trade was a 12.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 372,609 shares of company stock valued at $87,647,208. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of RCL opened at $260.37 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1-year low of $113.10 and a 1-year high of $277.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $243.28 and a 200 day moving average of $207.65.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.25 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.58%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on RCL. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho restated an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 target price (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.12.

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.