Zacks Research Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for RCL

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $4.36 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $4.64. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ current full-year earnings is $14.90 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Q3 2026 earnings at $6.63 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.62 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.82 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $4.47 EPS.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The company had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.28 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.63 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis.

RCL has been the topic of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. One 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 has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 4.1%

NYSE:RCL opened at $319.26 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.91. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 1-year low of $164.01 and a 1-year high of $366.50. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $298.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $302.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.16.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 25.62%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total value of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 218,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,513,217.82. This represents a 29.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Henry L. Pujol sold 4,442 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.99, for a total value of $1,456,931.58. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 10,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,301,875.33. This represents a 30.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 226,483 shares of company stock valued at $74,052,607. Insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 11.1% in the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 433,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,595,000 after buying an additional 43,184 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter worth $4,806,000. Marion Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter valued at $291,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7.4% during the second quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 180,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,539,000 after acquiring an additional 12,475 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 253.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 556,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,241,000 after purchasing an additional 398,849 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.