William Blair Issues Optimistic Forecast for RCL Earnings

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) – Stock analysts at William Blair increased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report issued on Tuesday, January 28th. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $17.69 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $17.00. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ current full-year earnings is $15.00 per share.

RCL has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $190.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $287.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $283.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Macquarie upped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $274.19.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $274.94 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 1 year low of $113.10 and a 1 year high of $275.05. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $239.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $200.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $73.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.72, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 2.59.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 48.97% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.25 EPS.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, January 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 27th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.80%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is currently 20.58%.

Insider Activity

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, EVP Harri U. Kulovaara sold 3,256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $234.62, for a total value of $763,922.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,243,287.76. This represents a 12.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 230,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now directly owns 18,556,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Insiders have sold 372,609 shares of company stock valued at $87,647,208 over the last ninety days. 7.95% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Safe Harbor Fiduciary LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 257.4% in the third quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 168 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.