Zacks Research Brokers Boost Earnings Estimates for RCL

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) - Zacks Research boosted their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst M. Kaushik now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.43 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.16. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises' current full-year earnings is $14.96 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises' Q1 2026 earnings at $3.56 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $4.23 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $5.09 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.58 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $16.46 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $19.25 EPS.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.25 earnings per share.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on RCL. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $270.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $245.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $284.12.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock traded up $2.90 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $262.99. The stock had a trading volume of 1,308,339 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,415,259. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a twelve month low of $113.10 and a twelve month high of $277.08. The company has a current ratio of 0.17, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 2.59. The stock's 50 day moving average is $243.57 and its 200 day moving average is $209.50.

Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 6,630 shares of the company's stock worth $1,530,000 after buying an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 76.1% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 28,991 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,142,000 after purchasing an additional 12,530 shares during the period. Souders Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 3rd quarter worth $800,000. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 541.0% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 9,897 shares of the company's stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 8,353 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.5% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 725,638 shares of the company's stock valued at $128,699,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, Director Richard D. Fain sold 19,500 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.68, for a total value of $5,005,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 185,021 shares in the company, valued at approximately $47,491,190.28. This trade represents a 9.53 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.62, for a total value of $53,732,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 18,556,860 shares in the company, valued at $4,335,253,633.20. This trade represents a 1.22 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 392,109 shares of company stock worth $92,652,468. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, February 12th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises's previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is 20.58%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

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.