Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ Acquires 58,077 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ increased its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 73.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 137,322 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 58,077 shares during the quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $44,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. Norges Bank bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter valued at about $1,021,893,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,604,177 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,270,252,000 after buying an additional 929,414 shares during the period. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $172,488,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7,971.4% in the second quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 540,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,165,000 after acquiring an additional 533,529 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 91.7% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,087,660 shares of the company’s stock worth $340,590,000 after purchasing an additional 520,353 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total transaction of $2,562,053.34. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,695,121.06. The trade was a 19.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 51,131 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.39, for a total value of $16,739,778.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 28,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,204,897.24. The trade was a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 722,164 shares of company stock worth $233,668,845. 6.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, December 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of RCL stock opened at $315.34 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12 month low of $164.01 and a 12 month high of $366.50. The firm has a market cap of $85.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.20, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.91. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $302.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.14.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted 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 net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current year.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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%. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.62%.

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.