Zacks Research Analysts Lower Earnings Estimates for RCL

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report issued on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $4.36 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $4.64. 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’ Q3 2026 earnings at $6.63 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.62 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $4.33 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.82 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $4.47 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on RCL. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed 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 report on Saturday, November 1st. UBS Group decreased their price target on 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. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE RCL opened at $323.27 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 12-month low of $164.01 and a 12-month high of $366.50. The company has a market capitalization of $87.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.91. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $299.53 and its 200-day moving average is $303.03.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Montag A & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 184.4% in the 4th quarter. Montag A & Associates Inc. now owns 91 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Quattro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 80,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 58,108 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,990,856.56. The trade was a 57.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total value of $29,710,297.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 218,822 shares in the company, valued at $71,513,217.82. The trade was a 29.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 226,483 shares of company stock valued at $74,052,607. 6.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is 25.62%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.