Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group

Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a “hold” rating and a $230.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price target indicates a potential upside of 10.65% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $271.00 to $301.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Argus boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $204.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Tigress Financial increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $279.58.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $207.87 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $237.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.94 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.53. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 52-week low of $125.06 and a 52-week high of $277.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.15.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total transaction of $4,447,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 42,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,021,265.74. This represents a 28.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 14,992 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.86, for a total transaction of $3,925,805.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,155 shares in the company, valued at $5,539,648.30. The trade was a 41.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.95% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $18,357,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth approximately $90,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,954,000. Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $279,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 21, 2024, it operated 65 ships. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.