Rathbones Group PLC Cuts Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Rathbones Group PLC lowered its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 6.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 333,708 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,707 shares during the period. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 0.12% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $91,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $693,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC now owns 779 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 1,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total value of $4,048,147.89. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 45,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,313,399.03. This trade represents a 22.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 6.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Royal Caribbean Cruises News

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $318.53 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $85.19 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.76. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $232.10 and a 52-week high of $366.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company’s 50 day moving average is $295.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.73.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.82 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.54% and a return on equity of 43.33%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.38 earnings per share. 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. On average, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on RCL. Mizuho set a $380.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $351.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $410.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. 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 MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $350.50.

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.