China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 17.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,399 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,828 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $2,721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,021,893,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,604,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,270,252,000 after acquiring an additional 929,414 shares in the last quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter worth approximately $172,488,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7,971.4% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 540,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,165,000 after purchasing an additional 533,529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 91.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,087,660 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,590,000 after purchasing an additional 520,353 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $310.20 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $164.01 and a one year high of $366.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $301.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $303.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.18.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the previous 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 predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 25.62%.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 180,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.09, for a total transaction of $58,516,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 17,887,507 shares in the company, valued at $5,815,049,650.63. The trade was a 1.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.82, for a total transaction of $26,145,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 58,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,990,856.56. This represents a 57.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 515,722 shares of company stock worth $168,242,004 over the last quarter. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Solid fundamentals: RCL reported Q4 EPS that met estimates, posted strong margins and record net income for the year; the board boosted the quarterly dividend and authorized a $2.0B buyback — supports longer‑term shareholder value. MarketBeat RCL
• Positive Sentiment: Governance/industry expertise added: appointment of Christopher J. Wiernicki to the board increases maritime and regulatory experience, which could help operations and risk oversight. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/media attention is favorable overall — most sell‑side analysts remain constructive with an average price target above current levels, and outlets are debating whether RCL is undervalued or fairly priced. Forbes Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership and recent YTD performance remain supportive (high institutional ownership and positive YTD returns), which can limit downside if fundamentals stay intact. MarketBeat institutional
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil: crude near multi‑month highs raises the risk of higher unhedged fuel costs — with RCL’s notable debt load, a sustained oil move can compress margins, cash flow and valuation multiples. Benzinga oil article
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling: directors executed sizable sales over the past week (notably Arne A. Wilhelmsen’s 180k and 100k share filings and other director disposals), which markets often view as a negative signal for near‑term sentiment. Wilhelmsen SEC Filing Benzinga sale summary
• Negative Sentiment: Additional smaller director sales (Laura Bethge, Maritza Gomez Montiel) amplify the impression of insider disposition in the same window. Bethge SEC Filing Gomez Montiel SEC Filing

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

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.