Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 17.700-18.100 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 17.690. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Royal Caribbean Cruises also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 3.180-3.280 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on RCL shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $367.00 to $357.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $334.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $360.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $316.00 to $373.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $333.33.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 18.1%

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $344.44 on Friday. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 1-year low of $164.01 and a 1-year high of $366.50. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $281.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $304.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.16 and a quick ratio of 0.14.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 23.33% and a return on equity of 44.68%. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. Equities research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.76, for a total value of $309,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,010,571.84. This trade represents a 7.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised FY‑2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.70–$18.10, slightly above the Street consensus (17.69), signaling management expects continued margin and revenue strength. PR Newswire: 2025 Results & 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 2026 EPS guide raised to $3.18–$3.28 versus consensus ~$2.94 — a material upside to the near-term earnings run‑rate that helps justify a re‑rating of the stock. PR Newswire: 2025 Results & 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Management reported record WAVE‑season bookings and higher onboard spend, supporting the upbeat 2026 revenue and profit outlook. Market commentary and analyst notes pointed to strong demand from higher‑spending travelers. Reuters: Raises Annual Profit Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Company is expanding its vacation portfolio — Discovery Class ship orders and a 10‑ship commitment for Celebrity River Cruises boost long‑term capacity and higher‑margin product mix. These investments signal confidence in demand and potential revenue diversification. PR Newswire: Discovery Class Orders PR Newswire: Celebrity River Cruises Fleet
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $2.80 matched consensus, with revenue just shy of estimates — the quarter showed strong margins and higher onboard spend but wasn’t a blowout vs. expectations. MarketBeat: Q4 Results & Call
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue narrowly missed consensus and short‑term liquidity metrics remain weak (very low current/quick ratios in company background data), leaving the stock exposed to macro shocks or higher rates despite the upbeat guidance. Zacks: Q4 Lag but Strong 2026 View

Institutional Trading of Royal Caribbean Cruises

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.1% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. PFG Advisors raised its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $382,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.0% during the third quarter. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,581,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. American Trust grew its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.1% in the third quarter. American Trust now owns 1,043 shares of the company’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, L2 Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.9% in the third quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $363,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.