Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen Sells 104,540 Shares of Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 104,540 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $321.64, for a total value of $33,624,245.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,782,967 shares in the company, valued at $5,719,713,505.88. This trade represents a 0.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

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

• 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 Tuesday, February 17th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 180,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was 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 Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $315.34 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $302.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $303.19. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $164.01 and a 52 week high of $366.50. The stock has a market cap of $85.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.91. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the previous year, the company earned $1.63 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict 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 buyback plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given 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 yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 184.4% during the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 91 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Tigress Financial increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.50 (annualized $6.00); ex‑dividend/record/pay dates disclosed — a cash return boost that supports shareholder sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Board-authorized $2.0 billion share buyback program—management signaling conviction in long‑term value, which can support the stock and EPS. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Board upgrade — appointment of Christopher J. Wiernicki adds maritime/regulatory expertise that could improve governance and operational oversight. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive: several firms have raised targets or reiterated buys (consensus price target near $348), which can attract investor interest but is not an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive media/momentum stories (Zacks, FXEmpire) highlight RCL as a long‑term value/flow beneficiary — may support continued inflows but not a near‑term driver by itself. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large, repeated insider selling by director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen across Feb. 13–19 (multiple transactions totaling hundreds of thousands of shares, tens of millions of dollars) — a clear short‑term negative signal that has pressured the stock. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider disposals (Laura H. Bethge, Maritza Gomez Montiel) in the same window amplify the selling signal and raise near‑term concern about insider conviction. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising crude / fuel costs: coverage flags that oil near multi‑month highs can hit margins quickly for cruise operators (especially with notable leverage), creating downside risk to earnings and multiples. Read More.

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.