In trying to determine how profitable a company is per asset dollar, we can take a look at  the firm’s Return on Assets.  Return on assets is calculated by dividing a company’s net income (usually annual income) by its total assets, and is displayed as a percentage. At the time of writing, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has 0.076843 ROA.  The measure is commonly used to compare the performance of businesses within the same industry, since it is very difficult for someone to obfuscate the cash flow figure. Thus, the ratio is quite a reliable and comparable measure of asset performance across an industry.

Investors will most likely be looking ahead to the next round of company earnings reports. As the reports come in, all eyes will be on the companies that post wide margin earnings beats or misses. Many investors will be closely tracking which way analyst estimates are being adjusted right before earnings. This may provide some insight on how good or bad the numbers for the quarter are likely to be. Investors might want to take a look at their holdings after the earnings reports to make sure that nothing extremely odd is occurring after crunching the numbers.

Valuation Scores

Checking in on some valuation rankings, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has a Value Composite score of 31. Developed by James O’Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales. The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 25.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has a current MF Rank of 7239. Developed by hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt, the intention of the formula is to spot high quality companies that are trading at an attractive price. The formula uses ROIC and earnings yield ratios to find quality, undervalued stocks. In general, companies with the lowest combined rank may be the higher quality picks.

The price to book ratio or market to book ratio for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) currently stands at 1.944429.  The ratio is calculated by dividing the stock price per share by the book value per share.  This ratio is used to determine how the market values the equity.  A ratio of under 1 typically indicates that the shares are undervalued.  A ratio over 1 indicates that the market is willing to pay more for the shares.  There are often many underlying factors that come into play with the Price to Book ratio so all additional metrics should be considered as well. 

When dealing with the stock market, investors have to be constantly on their toes. Investors who have had success in the past using a certain method for stock picking may eventually realize that the method no longer produces the same results as it once did. Expecting that the market environment will change and being able to react to those changes can greatly help the investor when the time comes. While investor confidence can be a positive thing, complacency can lead to future frustration and poor portfolio performance. Seasoned investors know that no bull market will last forever just as no bear market will last forever. Being prepared for any situation can greatly help the investor navigate the market when changes do occur.

Ever wonder how investors predict positive share price momentum?  The Cross SMA 50/200, also known as the “Golden Cross” is the fifty day moving average divided by the two hundred day moving average.  The SMA 50/200 for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is currently 1.00930.  If the Golden Cross is greater than 1, then the 50 day moving average is above the 200 day moving average – indicating a positive share price momentum.  If the Golden Cross is less than 1, then the 50 day moving average is below the 200 day moving average, indicating that the price might drop.

The Leverage Ratio of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is 0.432608. Leverage ratio is the total debt of a company divided by total assets of the current and past year divided by two. Companies take on debt to finance their day to day operations. The leverage ratio can measure how much of a company’s capital comes from debt. With this ratio, investors can better estimate how well a company will be able to pay their long and short term financial obligations.

Volatility

Stock volatility is a percentage that indicates whether a stock is a desirable purchase.  Investors look at the Volatility 12m to determine if a company has a low volatility percentage or not over the course of a year.  The Volatility 12m of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is 30.463300.  This is calculated by taking weekly log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over one year annualized.  The lower the number, a company is thought to have low volatility.  The Volatility 3m is a similar percentage determined by the daily log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over 3 months.  The Volatility 3m of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is 24.629400.  The Volatility 6m is the same, except measured over the course of six months.  The Volatility 6m is 24.705300.

Quant Scores

The Q.i. Value of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is 36.00000.  The Q.i. Value is a helpful tool in determining if a company is undervalued or not.  The Q.i. Value is calculated using the following ratios: EBITDA Yield, Earnings Yield, FCF Yield, and Liquidity.  The lower the Q.i. value, the more undervalued the company is thought to be.

The Piotroski F-Score is a scoring system between 1-9 that determines a firm’s financial strength.  The score helps determine if a company’s stock is valuable or not.  The Piotroski F-Score of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is 6.  A score of nine indicates a high value stock, while a score of one indicates a low value stock.  The score is calculated by the return on assets (ROA), Cash flow return on assets (CFROA), change in return of assets, and quality of earnings.  It is also calculated by a change in gearing or leverage, liquidity, and change in shares in issue.  The score is also determined by change in gross margin and change in asset turnover.

The M-Score, conceived by accounting professor Messod Beneish, is a model for detecting whether a company has manipulated their earnings numbers or not. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has an M-Score of -2.593374.  The M-Score is based on 8 different variables: Days’ sales in receivables index, Gross Margin Index, Asset Quality Index, Sales Growth Index, Depreciation Index, Sales, General and Administrative expenses Index, Leverage Index and Total Accruals to Total Assets.  A score higher than -1.78 is an indicator that the company might be manipulating their numbers.

The Gross Margin Score is calculated by looking at the Gross Margin and the overall stability of the company over the course of 8 years.  The score is a number between one and one hundred (1 being best and 100 being the worst).  The Gross Margin Score of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is 14.00000.  The more stable the company, the lower the score.  If a company is less stable over the course of time, they will have a higher score.

There are many different strategies that investors use when entering the stock market. Beating the market is no easy task, and many veteran investors would echo that sentiment. When following the day to day happenings in the stock market, it can be easy to get distracted. There is a lot of emphasis on what is happening in the moment, and it can be tempting for investors to get caught up in the chaos. Everyday market fluctuations can sometimes cause investors to second guess their stock selections. Investors who are able to filter out the noise and focus on the most pertinent information may find themselves in an elevated position in relation to the rest of the investing field.