Avestar Capital LLC Has $474,000 Stock Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Avestar Capital LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,053 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 172 shares during the quarter. Avestar Capital LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $474,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hudock Inc. acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 533 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $445,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth $150,000. Finally, Hartford Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co. now owns 15,337 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,538,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 3,256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.62, for a total transaction of $763,922.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,243,287.76. This trade represents a 12.72 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total transaction of $5,005,260.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 185,021 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $47,491,190.28. The trade was a 9.53 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 392,109 shares of company stock valued at $92,652,468. Company insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on RCL. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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. 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 note on Wednesday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $253.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $262.99 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $113.10 and a fifty-two week high of $277.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $243.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.02. The company has a market cap of $70.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.25 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.96 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is an increase 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 (DPR) is presently 20.58%.

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.