Insider Selling: Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Sells $108,961,896.03 in Stock

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 345,111 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.73, for a total value of $108,961,896.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,207,517 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,432,929,342.41. The trade was a 1.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

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

• On Monday, February 23rd, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 19,140 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $317.30, for a total transaction of $6,073,122.00.
• On Friday, February 20th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 109,297 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.81, for a total value of $34,407,788.57.
• On Thursday, February 19th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 101,902 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $312.09, for a total value of $31,802,595.18.
• 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 transaction of $33,624,245.60.
• On Tuesday, February 17th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 180,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $325.09, for a total transaction of $58,516,200.00.
• On Friday, February 13th, Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 100,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.58, for a total transaction of $32,658,000.00.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 4.8%

Shares of RCL traded up $14.46 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $317.10. 2,983,181 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,413,092. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $302.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $303.01. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $164.01 and a 1 year high of $366.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.31, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.91. 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 (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.63 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is currently 38.44%.

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

Key Royal Caribbean Cruises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Technical / momentum boost — RCL recently flashed a golden‑cross (short‑term moving average crossing above long‑term), a commonly watched buy signal that likely attracted momentum traders. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Just Flashed Golden Cross Signal: Do You Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Strong fundamentals — recent coverage highlights record revenue, improving margins and aggressive fleet expansion plans that underpin longer‑term earnings growth and justify premium valuation. Royal Caribbean Is Cruising Toward a New All-Time High
• Positive Sentiment: Long‑term investor narratives — multiple feature pieces tout RCL as a top growth idea and show strong multi‑year total‑return performance, supporting buy‑and‑hold interest. Why Royal Caribbean (RCL) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor education / retail interest — articles showing historical returns and style scores raise retail visibility but have mixed immediate impact on price. If You Invested $1000 in Royal Caribbean a Decade Ago, This is How Much It’d Be Worth Now
• Negative Sentiment: Trade‑policy uncertainty — broader market reaction to new global tariff announcements weighed on travel names and briefly pressured RCL sentiment. Inspired, LKQ, Hilton, Royal Caribbean, and Hasbro Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
• Negative Sentiment: Itinerary disruptions — cruise lines are cancelling Puerto Vallarta stops after violence in Mexico; rerouting and guest care can raise near‑term operating costs and logistical headaches. Cruise companies cancel Puerto Vallarta stops after violence in Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — a large director sale (~$33.6M) was reported, which can spook some investors even if sales are for diversification or liquidity. Insider Selling: Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Sells $33,624,245.60 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Put buying surge — unusually large put option volume (about 17,883 puts, ~+116% vs. average) signals hedging or bearish bets that can increase short‑term downside risk/volatility.
• Negative Sentiment: Legal / geopolitical watch — the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear cases touching on compensation claims tied to property seizures (including cruise operators’ related exposure), a potential legal overhang to monitor. US Supreme Court to hear Exxon bid for compensation from Cuba

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Monetary Solutions Ltd bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 557.7% during the 4th quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,635 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,524,000 after acquiring an additional 10,714 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at $90,000. Cambient Family Office LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $208,000. Finally, Compound Planning Inc. grew its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 187.8% in the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 11,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,102,000 after acquiring an additional 7,257 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RCL has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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 report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Susquehanna set a $350.00 price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $348.29.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

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.