Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Grows Holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 722.1% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,098 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,410 shares during the quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $7,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,297,000 after purchasing an additional 6,063 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter worth $1,762,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,772 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,494,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at $357,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $17.73 from $17.13, bringing it close to the broader consensus estimate of $17.79. The firm also increased its estimates for Q3 2026, Q4 2026, FY2027, Q4 2027 and FY2028, suggesting expectations for continued earnings growth. Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Will Climb or Sink?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks lifted its FY2027 EPS forecast to $19.10 from $19.06 and FY2028 EPS forecast to $22.09 from $22.04. Although the revisions were modest, they reinforce expectations that Royal Caribbean’s earnings can expand beyond 2026.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages’ average price target is approximately $353.40, materially above the stock’s recent trading level near $310, implying potential upside if the company meets or exceeds earnings expectations. Brokerages Set Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Price Target at $353.40
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains mixed rather than strongly bullish. Zacks Research maintains a Hold rating, while broader Wall Street commentary describes the outlook as cautiously optimistic despite RCL’s lagging the overall market over the past year. Analysts’ Opinions Are Mixed on Royal Caribbean
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered its Q1 2027 EPS estimate to $3.66 from $3.68, Q1 2028 to $4.92 from $5.20, and Q2 2028 to $5.49 from $5.65. These reductions indicate some pressure or uncertainty in specific seasonal periods, partially offsetting the broader upward revisions.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on RCL. Mizuho set a $380.00 target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $297.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $296.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $370.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $353.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 12,811 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total value of $4,048,147.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 45,297 shares in the company, valued at $14,313,399.03. This trade represents a 22.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 6.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE RCL opened at $310.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.99 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.77. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $232.10 and a one year high of $366.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $302.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $292.07.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.38 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.78 EPS for the current year.

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.