Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Sold by Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC cut its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 132,122 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,042 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $42,752,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Circle Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter valued at about $1,090,000. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 31.9% in the 3rd quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 1,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 72.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 3,479 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 459,571 shares of the company’s stock valued at $148,708,000 after purchasing an additional 26,553 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 13.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 41,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,357,000 after purchasing an additional 4,802 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

RCL has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Mizuho set a $379.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased 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 report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $373.00 to $383.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Sunday, February 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total transaction of $113,355,118.14. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,681,386 shares in the company, valued at $5,311,186,488.54. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $272.44 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $304.16 and its 200 day simple moving average is $299.78. The company has a market cap of $73.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.45, a PEG ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 1.87. 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 Ltd. has a one year low of $164.01 and a one year high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 firm had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.63 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is currently 38.44%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Key Headlines Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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 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.