Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Royal Caribbean Cruises Put Options (NYSE:RCL)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Monday. Investors acquired 17,883 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 116% compared to the average daily volume of 8,274 put options.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 51,131 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.39, for a total value of $16,739,778.09. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 28,116 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,204,897.24. This trade represents a 64.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 80,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.82, for a total transaction of $26,145,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 58,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,990,856.56. The trade was a 57.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 722,164 shares of company stock valued at $233,668,845. Corporate insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 36,165,358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,088,156,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215,382 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,253,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,438,292,000 after buying an additional 187,283 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 20,176,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,627,669,000 after acquiring an additional 920,042 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,576,751 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,433,052,000 after acquiring an additional 84,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,054,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,961,758,000 after acquiring an additional 155,491 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, December 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target 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. Bank of America increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $290.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 3.9%

RCL opened at $302.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $81.87 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $302.36 and a 200-day moving average of $303.01. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 52 week low of $164.01 and a 52 week high of $366.50.

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. The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.62%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tigress Financial raised its RCL price target to $425 citing strong 2025 results and momentum, supporting a longer-term bullish thesis for revenue and fleet expansion. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Target Raised to $425 on Earnings Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and features continue to highlight RCL as a long-term growth story — record revenue, aggressive fleet plans and multi-year demand recovery remain intact, which could limit downside and support rebounds. Royal Caribbean Is Cruising Toward a New All-Time High
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical indicators showed a “golden cross” (short-term moving average crossing above long-term), a bullish sign for momentum traders but not a guarantee of near-term direction. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Just Flashed Golden Cross Signal: Do You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Legal/regulatory risk is on the radar: the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing cases tied to Cuba-era claims that could affect industry liabilities and precedents — monitor for any outcome-driven stock moves. US Supreme Court to hear Exxon bid for compensation from Cuba
• Negative Sentiment: Market-wide risk from the U.S. administration’s announcement of new global tariffs stoked trade-policy uncertainty and knocked down travel and leisure names, contributing to RCL’s decline today. Inspired, LKQ, Hilton, Royal Caribbean, and Hasbro Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
• Negative Sentiment: Cruise itinerary risk: companies canceled Puerto Vallarta stops after violence in Mexico — rerouting and customer care add operational disruption and near-term revenue/expense uncertainty for cruise operators. Cruise companies cancel Puerto Vallarta stops after violence in Mexico
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: a Royal Caribbean director reportedly sold roughly $33.6M of stock, which can spook investors even if insiders sell for personal reasons. Insider Selling: Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Director Sells $33,624,245.60 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity: unusually large put buying (about 17,883 puts, ~116% above average) indicates elevated short-term bearish bets and adds downward pressure on the stock. (Company options volume report)

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.