Empower Advisory Group LLC Sells 107 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Empower Advisory Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,648 shares of the company’s stock after selling 107 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $380,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hemington Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,360 shares of the company’s stock worth $544,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 457 shares of the company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 350 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, FSM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.2% during the third quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 185,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 7.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

RCL stock opened at $263.97 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $244.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $211.54. The company has a market capitalization of $70.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.69, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 2.59. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $113.10 and a 52-week 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 results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the company earned $1.25 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.58%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Mizuho reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $253.00 price target (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Profile

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.