Key Points
- Insider sales: Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold roughly 959,990 RCL shares across multiple trades this week — generating about $306 million in proceeds — though he still owns ~17.55 million shares valued near $5.57 billion.
- Corporate actions and performance: Royal Caribbean reported solid quarterly results (EPS $2.80, revenue +13.2%), authorized a $2.0 billion share buyback (~2.6% of shares) and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 (annualized $6.00), while analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" consensus with a $348.29 price target.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 19,140 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.30, for a total value of $6,073,122.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,552,628 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,569,448,864.40. The trade was a 0.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Tuesday, February 24th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 345,111 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.73, for a total value of $108,961,896.03.
- On Friday, February 20th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 109,297 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $314.81, for a total value of $34,407,788.57.
- On Thursday, February 19th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 101,902 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.09, for a total transaction of $31,802,595.18.
- On Wednesday, February 18th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 104,540 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $321.64, for a total transaction of $33,624,245.60.
- On Tuesday, February 17th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 180,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.09, for a total transaction of $58,516,200.00.
- On Friday, February 13th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 100,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.58, for a total transaction of $32,658,000.00.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance
NYSE RCL opened at $317.10 on Wednesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $164.01 and a fifty-two week high of $366.50. The stock's 50-day moving average is $303.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $303.12. The firm has a market cap of $85.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.16.
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to repurchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.62%.
Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Technical/bullish coverage: RCL recently printed a "golden cross" technical signal (50-day moving average crossing above the 200-day), which often attracts momentum buyers. Golden Cross Signal
- Positive Sentiment: Fundamentals/optimistic narratives: recent write-ups highlight strong revenue trends, fleet-expansion plans and long-term growth potential — headlines positioning RCL as a top growth name have likely supported buying interest. MarketBeat: Cruising Toward a New High
- Neutral Sentiment: Legal/industry event: the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear cases on compensation related to Cuba seizures that could affect maritime operators; this is longer-term legal uncertainty rather than an immediate earnings-shock. Supreme Court / Cuba Cases
- Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling: Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold multiple blocks of shares this week (three Form 4 disclosures show combined sales of roughly 473,548 shares, representing tens of millions of dollars), which can be perceived as a negative signal to some investors. Filing: SEC Form 4
- Negative Sentiment: Options-market activity: unusually large put buying was reported (about 17,883 put contracts, ~116% above average), which signals increased downside hedging or speculative bearish bets and may pressure sentiment.
- Negative Sentiment: Operational/tourism disruption: cruise lines canceled Puerto Vallarta calls after violence in Mexico, forcing reroutes and potential incremental costs or customer accommodations—near-term itinerary disruption risk for the sector. Cruise Cancellations
- Negative Sentiment: Macro/trade risk: afternoon weakness in several travel and consumer names followed new global tariff comments from the administration, adding trade-policy uncertainty that can weigh on cyclical travel stocks. Tariff/Trade Policy News
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $360.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $373.00 to $383.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Sunday, February 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $348.29.
Get Our Latest Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises
Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 433,018 shares of the company's stock worth $135,595,000 after purchasing an additional 43,184 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at about $4,806,000. Marion Wealth Management bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter worth about $291,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,066,167 shares of the company's stock worth $9,728,810,000 after buying an additional 461,990 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 253.7% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 556,061 shares of the company's stock valued at $179,241,000 after acquiring an additional 398,849 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile
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Get Free Report)
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE: RCL), operating as part of the Royal Caribbean Group, is a global cruise company that develops, markets and operates passenger cruise ships. The company operates multiple consumer-facing cruise brands that offer short- and long-duration itineraries and a range of onboard experiences. Its core activities include itineraries and voyage operations, guest services and hospitality, onboard food and beverage, entertainment and recreation programming, and the commercial activities needed to sell and support cruises through both direct and travel‑agent channels.
Royal Caribbean's ships serve a broad set of geographies worldwide, regularly deploying vessels in the Caribbean, North America (including Alaska), Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.
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