Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Has $2.88 Million Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 30.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,474 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,893 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $2,878,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $205.60 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $55.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $237.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $224.44. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $125.06 and a twelve month high of $277.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.17.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on RCL shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Loop Capital upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 5th. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total value of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total value of $15,193,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 143,214 shares in the company, valued at $37,514,907.30. The trade was a 28.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock valued at $28,571,705. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.