Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Sold by Rathbones Group PLC

Rathbones Group PLC cut its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 6.1% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 333,708 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,707 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $91,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in RCL. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 877,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $244,797,000 after buying an additional 201,014 shares during the last quarter. Dougherty & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at $10,827,000. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at $2,159,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $2,424,000. Finally, Capital International Sarl boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 363,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,447,000 after purchasing an additional 58,734 shares during the period. 87.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Caribbean continues to benefit from resilient bookings, premium offerings and demand from higher-income travelers. Analysts argue that its focus on higher-margin guests may help offset cost pressures, while the company appears relatively insulated from weaker consumer vacation spending. Royal Caribbean: Higher Margin Guests Meet Fuel Risks, Dip Buying Opportunity Ahead
• Positive Sentiment: A comparison of Royal Caribbean and Carnival highlights favorable industry trends, including strong bookings, premium pricing and continued cruise demand. Royal Caribbean’s recent earnings also showed revenue growth and earnings above analyst expectations, supporting the company’s fundamental outlook. Carnival vs. Royal Caribbean: Which Cruise Stock Looks More Promising?
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target for RCL from $280 to $300 but maintained an “equal weight” rating. The revised target remains below the stock’s recent trading level, indicating limited near-term upside in the firm’s view. Morgan Stanley RCL price-target update
• Negative Sentiment: Freedom Capital downgraded Royal Caribbean from “strong buy” to “hold,” adding to valuation concerns after the stock’s substantial gains and contributing to selling pressure. Freedom Capital downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 12,811 shares worth approximately $4.05 million, reducing his direct ownership by 22.05%. Although insider sales can be scheduled or diversification-related, the transaction may weigh on investor sentiment. SEC insider transaction filing

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 12,811 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total transaction of $4,048,147.89. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 45,297 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,313,399.03. This represents a 22.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 6.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $337.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $304.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $376.00 to $341.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Mizuho set a $380.00 target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of RCL stock opened at $318.53 on Monday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $232.10 and a 1 year high of $366.50. The stock has a market cap of $85.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $295.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $289.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.21.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.23. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 23.54%.The business had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $4.38 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.730-17.870 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.260-6.360 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is currently 37.08%.

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.