Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Stake Lifted by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 90,195 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,144 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $29,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of RCL. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.1% in the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 85.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Solstein Capital LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at $58,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total value of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 218,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,513,217.82. This represents a 29.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 51,131 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $327.39, for a total transaction of $16,739,778.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 28,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,204,897.24. This represents a 64.52% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 226,483 shares of company stock valued at $74,052,607. Corporate insiders own 6.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on RCL. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $360.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, October 31st. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $324.00 to $361.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target 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. One 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, Royal Caribbean Cruises has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RCL opened at $319.26 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $86.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.18. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $296.69 and a 200-day moving average of $302.95. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $164.01 and a one year high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.06% and a net margin of 23.80%.The company had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

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

Key Headlines Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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 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.