William Blair Equities Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) – Stock analysts at William Blair reduced their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report issued on Thursday, April 25th. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $1.58 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.77. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ current full-year earnings is $10.80 per share.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $164.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Macquarie raised their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $154.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $138.76.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of RCL opened at $143.35 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.54, a current ratio of 0.19 and a quick ratio of 0.16. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a one year low of $65.10 and a one year high of $143.62. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $130.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.25. The company has a market capitalization of $36.89 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 2.52.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.44. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 51.54% and a net margin of 14.28%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.23) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 29.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 79,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,993,000 after purchasing an additional 5,075 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 34.5% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 372,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,776,000 after acquiring an additional 95,632 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,326 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 1st quarter worth $13,692,000. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 144.6% during the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 15,991 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,223,000 after purchasing an additional 9,453 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $139.63, for a total transaction of $6,981,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 153,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,365,763.71. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.63, for a total value of $6,981,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 153,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,365,763.71. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 11,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $116.01, for a total value of $1,363,465.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 166,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,319,957.37. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 8.70% 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.