Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen Sells 101,902 Shares of Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 101,902 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.09, for a total value of $31,802,595.18. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 17,681,065 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,518,083,575.85. The trade was a 0.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

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

• 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 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 Stock Performance

NYSE:RCL opened at $315.34 on Friday. 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 fifty-two week low of $164.01 and a fifty-two week high of $366.50. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $302.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $303.19. The company has a market capitalization of $85.31 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G 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 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 company had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.62%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on RCL. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $318.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, December 26th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Mizuho set a $379.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $693,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC now owns 779 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.5% during the second quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,936 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.1% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.