Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) had its price target cut by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $330.00 to $310.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target points to a potential upside of 10.90% from the stock’s current price.
Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Bank of America raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $380.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Tigress Financial raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $350.55.
Check Out Our Latest Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises
Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 4.4%
Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.
Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total transaction of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 218,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,513,217.82. This trade represents a 29.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 356,026 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $318.39, for a total value of $113,355,118.14. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 16,681,386 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,311,186,488.54. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock valued at $626,681,935. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,297,000 after acquiring an additional 6,063 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth $1,762,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,494,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth $357,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
More Royal Caribbean Cruises News
Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical de‑escalation/ceasefire headlines lifted travel stocks and eased fuel worries, directly supporting RCL’s outlook and sparking the intraday jump. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Stock Trades Up, Here Is Why
- Positive Sentiment: News coverage explains the sectorwide surge (Carnival, Norwegian, Royal) as fuel-price relief drove buying in travel names — a direct tailwind for RCL’s profitability and bookings sentiment. Why Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line Stocks Surged Today
- Positive Sentiment: Royal ONE tri‑branded credit card launch is being highlighted in valuation checks — a potential recurring-fee and loyalty driver that could expand non‑ticket revenue and improve guest retention. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) Valuation Check After Launch Of Royal ONE Tri Branded Credit Cards
- Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target (from $376 to $341) but kept an Overweight rating — a mixed signal: reduced upside math yet continued analyst support. This can steady sentiment while capping near‑term upside expectations. Benzinga: JPMorgan cuts RCL price target
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary and investor guides (Zacks, Wall Street summaries) continue to point to strong bookings, fleet growth and a solid 2026 outlook — supportive context but wary of rising costs. RCL Stock Rises 28% in Past Year: Should You Buy, Sell or Hold?
- Negative Sentiment: Oil/hedging risk remains a key downside: coverage sorting cruise lines by hedging exposure warns that higher fuel or volatile energy markets can quickly pressure margins if fuel costs rebound. That keeps risk elevated despite today’s relief rally. Oil shock sorts cruise lines into the hedged and hedged nots
- Negative Sentiment: Competitor moves in luxury loyalty (Silversea enhancements) could pressure RCL’s higher-end market share or force loyalty investment to match perks — a modest competitive headwind over time. Silversea enhances Venetian Society loyalty program
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.
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