Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for RCL Earnings

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $3.18 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $3.16. 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’ Q2 2027 earnings at $5.79 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $20.41 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $23.57 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Mizuho set a $379.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Tigress Financial lifted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $368.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $319.26 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 52 week low of $164.01 and a 52 week high of $366.50. The company’s 50 day moving average is $296.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $303.37. The company has a market cap of $86.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Forest Avenue Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $80,848,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,870 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,984,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1,265.7% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 25,293 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,055,000 after acquiring an additional 23,441 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter worth approximately $421,000. Finally, Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 3,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $901,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 80,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.82, for a total value of $26,145,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 58,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,990,856.56. The trade was a 57.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 51,131 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.39, for a total transaction of $16,739,778.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 28,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,204,897.24. This trade represents a 64.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 226,483 shares of company stock worth $74,052,607 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 2025 results showed solid demand and margin recovery — revenue and EPS rose ~13% and ~36% year‑over‑year, operating profit jumped ~49%, and operating cash generation improved. These fundamentals support analyst bullishness and longer‑term earnings upgrades. RCL Q4 2025 Earnings (QuiverQuant)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains constructive: broker consensus is around a “Moderate Buy” and many firms maintain buy/overweight ratings with price targets well above current levels — a tailwind for the stock if sentiment persists. Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy (AmericanBankingNews)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q1 and Q2, signaling some upward revision to the company’s short‑term earnings outlook. (These are modest changes but supportive.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also published longer‑range projections (FY2027/FY2028) that are mixed — a small cut to FY2027 was offset by higher FY2028 expectations — leaving medium‑term consensus roughly intact.
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Caribbean priced $2.5 billion of senior unsecured notes ($1.25B due 2033 at 4.75% and $1.25B due 2038 at 5.25%). The deal increases debt and fixed interest obligations, which can pressure the stock, especially given already elevated capex and leverage metrics. Pricing of Senior Unsecured Notes (PR Newswire) Royal Caribbean Issues $2.5 Billion in Senior Notes (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: High near‑term capital spending: management’s reported capex jumped materially in Q4, and Quiver data shows insider sales in recent months — both factors can worry investors about future free cash flow and signal reduced insider conviction. Capex & Insider Activity (QuiverQuant)

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.