Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen Sells 245,476 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.54, for a total transaction of $76,475,593.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,435,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,120,443,401.40. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, February 26th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total transaction of $113,355,118.14.
• On Wednesday, February 25th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 170,105 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.92, for a total transaction of $53,739,571.60.
• On Tuesday, February 24th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 345,111 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.73, for a total value of $108,961,896.03.
• On Monday, February 23rd, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 19,140 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $317.30, for a total value of $6,073,122.00.
• On Friday, February 20th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 109,297 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were 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 stock was sold at an average price of $312.09, for a total value 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 value 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 value of $58,516,200.00.
• On Friday, February 13th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 100,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.58, for a total value of $32,658,000.00.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $310.49 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $164.01 and a 12-month high of $366.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $304.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $303.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The company has a market cap of $84.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.91.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business 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 boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 25.62%.

Trending Headlines about Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company expansion push — coverage highlights Royal Caribbean’s aggressive growth and fleet/itinerary expansion plans that back continued demand recovery and revenue upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Luxury brand development — Silversea unveiled public spaces for The Cormorant at 55 South, a new hotel supporting Antarctic fly‑cruise packages, strengthening the company’s premium/expedition revenue mix. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Completed $2.5B senior notes offering — RCL issued $1.25B of 4.75% notes due 2033 and $1.25B of 5.25% notes due 2038. The deal boosts liquidity and funds financing needs but increases long‑term debt and interest expense. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling — Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 771,607 shares across Feb 25–27 for roughly $243.6M in proceeds (three Form 4 filings). While the sales are a small percentage of his total holdings, the magnitude and timing can pressure sentiment and share price. Read More.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Tigress Financial upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, December 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.29.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Monetary Solutions Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Virtu Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 557.7% in the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,635 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,524,000 after buying an additional 10,714 shares in the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth $90,000. Finally, Cambient Family Office LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $208,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.