Gryphon Financial Partners LLC Increases Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,267 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 96 shares during the quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $523,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at $27,000. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at $31,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $210.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Argus increased their target price 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. Finally, Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 2.2 %

RCL opened at $240.71 on Tuesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $124.24 and a twelve month high of $277.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $244.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $216.92. The company has a market cap of $64.78 billion, a PE ratio of 22.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.59.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS 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 business posted $1.25 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.06%.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total transaction of $3,925,805.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at $5,539,648.30. This trade represents a 41.48 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $15,193,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,514,907.30. This represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. Insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

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.