Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Stake Increased by Aperio Group LLC

Aperio Group LLC boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 6.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 52,656 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,342 shares during the period. Aperio Group LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $5,752,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teachers Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Teachers Advisors LLC now owns 235,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,291,000 after buying an additional 18,638 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $996,000. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $445,000. Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 162.9% in the fourth quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 62,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,094,000 after buying an additional 38,483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.4% in the first quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 144,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,186,000 after buying an additional 4,735 shares during the last quarter. 72.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE RCL) opened at 119.22 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $65.10 and a 12-month high of $122.96. The firm has a market cap of $25.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $114.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.11.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.19 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.73% and a return on equity of 16.71%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s revenue was up 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post $7.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, April 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on RCL shares. Zacks Investment Research upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $126.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 7th. ValuEngine upgraded Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 2nd. Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) lifted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank AG lifted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $102.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 2nd. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $106.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $117.23.

In related news, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 7,580 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.61, for a total value of $906,643.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,493 shares in the company, valued at $2,809,997.73. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Richard D. Fain sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.62, for a total transaction of $2,192,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 967,741 shares in the company, valued at approximately $106,083,768.42. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 460,079 shares of company stock worth $53,714,055. 15.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a cruise company. The Company owns and operates three global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises (Global Brands). The Company also own joint venture interest in the German brand TUI Cruises, interest in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and interest in the Chinese brand SkySea Cruises (collectively, Partner Brands).