Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $291.60, but opened at $316.15. Royal Caribbean Cruises shares last traded at $335.9140, with a volume of 2,713,268 shares changing hands.

Trending Headlines about Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.70–$18.10 and said the 2025 quarter exceeded guidance, supported by a record start to the WAVE booking season — this is the main catalyst for the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported strong demand from higher‑spending customers and rising onboard spending, which lifted revenue and profit expectations for the year. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are reacting: Goldman Sachs raised its view on RCL (and lifted its price target), citing cost discipline and new ships — this analyst support reinforces investor confidence. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean announced fleet expansion initiatives (Discovery Class ship orders and additional Celebrity River Cruises ships), which signal long‑term revenue growth but also imply multiyear capital commitments. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results were essentially in line but some outlets flagged a small miss on revenue/consensus or that certain metrics lagged estimates — a reminder that near‑term execution and margin tracking still matter. Read More.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, December 26th. Wall Street Zen lowered Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Bank of America increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $360.00 target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $367.00 to $357.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.76.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $91.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $279.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $304.16.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 44.68% and a net margin of 23.33%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 26th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is presently 26.90%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,100 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.76, for a total transaction of $309,936.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,010,571.84. The trade was a 7.17% 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. 6.95% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% during the fourth 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 grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 6,063 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth about $287,000. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $403,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 19.5% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 44,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,829,000 after purchasing an additional 7,210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

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.