Clough Capital Partners L P Sells 31,200 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Clough Capital Partners L P reduced its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 32.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,071 shares of the company’s stock after selling 31,200 shares during the period. Royal Caribbean Cruises accounts for about 1.9% of Clough Capital Partners L P’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Clough Capital Partners L P’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $21,379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of RCL. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter worth about $1,021,893,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,604,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,270,252,000 after purchasing an additional 929,414 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 163.7% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,101,544 shares of the company’s stock worth $356,515,000 after purchasing an additional 683,896 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 560.9% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 676,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,949,000 after purchasing an additional 574,256 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $172,488,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on RCL. Citigroup raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Finally, Tigress Financial upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE RCL opened at $272.44 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 50-day moving average of $304.16 and a 200 day moving average of $300.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.18. The company has a market capitalization of $73.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.45, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.87.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.44%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total value of $113,355,118.14. Following the sale, the director owned 16,681,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,311,186,488.54. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total transaction of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 218,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,513,217.82. This trade represents a 29.35% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock worth $626,681,935. 6.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Royal Caribbean Cruises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: RCL received high growth-factor grades among S&P consumer discretionary names, highlighting stronger fundamental/growth metrics versus peers — a favorable signal for growth-oriented investors and quant funds. Royal Caribbean Cruises tops growth factor grades among S&P Consumer Discretionary holdings
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary (Zacks) profiles RCL as a strong growth stock, reinforcing the buy-side narrative around earnings recovery and multi-year demand trends — this can attract momentum and fundamental buyers. Here’s Why Royal Caribbean (RCL) is a Strong Growth Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Celebrity Cruises (part of RCL) announced an expanded river-cruise destination program aimed at premium experiences — a product upgrade that can support higher yields, ancillary revenue and brand differentiation over time. CELEBRITY CRUISES IS REDEFINING RIVER TRAVEL WITH THE INDUSTRY’S MOST EXTENSIVE AND EXPERIENTIAL DESTINATION EXPERIENCES
• Neutral Sentiment: The stock finished higher today despite a weak market session, suggesting selective investor buying in RCL versus broader indices; this reflects short-term positioning more than a clear catalyst. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean is experimenting with novel onboard entertainment (a talent show at sea) intended to support valuation via engagement/ancillary spend — interesting for marketing/branding but the financial impact is uncertain. Royal Caribbean Bets On Talent Show At Sea To Support Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Oil-price volatility and geopolitical risk drove a sector selloff earlier this week, triggering a sharp intraday drop in RCL shares — higher fuel costs are a direct margin risk for cruise operators and amplified the pullback. Royal Caribbean Plunges 6% as Oil Shock Torpedoes Cruise Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Macro headlines (oil spike after Iran-related escalation) pressured broader markets and consumer-exposed sectors, keeping downside risk for RCL until energy/geopolitical volatility cools. Nasdaq leads Wall St lower as oil prices spike on Iran revenge strikes

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.