Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Trading Up 4.6% on Analyst Upgrade

Posted by Geri Gentry on Sep 24th, 2026

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report)’s stock price traded up 4.6% on Thursday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $345.00 to $394.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Royal Caribbean Cruises traded as high as $239.08 and last traded at $240.9820. Approximately 1,781,791 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 2,535,162 shares. The stock had previously closed at $230.30.

RCL has been the topic of several other reports. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $372.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $304.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $297.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $356.10.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on RCL

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Michael Bayley sold 12,811 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total value of $4,048,147.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 45,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,313,399.03. The trade was a 22.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.44% of the company’s stock.

More Royal Caribbean Cruises News

Here are the key news stories impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises this week:

Positive Sentiment: Royal Caribbean agreed to invest approximately $3 billion for a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts, creating a joint venture valued at about $6 billion. The partnership broadens RCL beyond cruises into all-inclusive Caribbean vacations and could provide access to wealthier customers and additional cross-selling opportunities. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027. Reuters article
Positive Sentiment: Truist reportedly views the Sandals transaction as accretive in its first year, while BMO reaffirmed its “outperform” rating and maintained a $370 price target, implying substantial upside from current levels. Truist analysis
Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 earnings outlook and expects adjusted earnings per share to grow roughly 14%, indicating that demand remains resilient despite the stock’s decline over the past year. Trefis analysis

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of RCL. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 66,915 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,248,000 after purchasing an additional 7,299 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 293,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,261,000 after purchasing an additional 14,018 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,689,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,409,971,000 after buying an additional 270,930 shares during the period. Security National Bank of SO Dak acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $85,092,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average of $286.06 and a 200 day moving average of $282.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 1.74.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.23. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 23.54%.The business had revenue of $4.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.38 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.730-17.870 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.260-6.360 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 17th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 17th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.08%.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

(Get Free Report)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., now operating as Royal Caribbean Group, is a global cruise vacation company headquartered in Miami, Florida. The company provides cruise vacations and related travel experiences through a fleet of ocean-going ships serving destinations across the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and other regions.

Royal Caribbean Group’s principal brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea. Royal Caribbean International focuses on large-ship vacations featuring entertainment, dining, family activities and onboard attractions; Celebrity Cruises offers premium cruises; and Silversea specializes in luxury and expedition voyages.