38,816 Shares in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Acquired by Dougherty & Associates LLC

Key Points

• Dougherty & Associates LLC bought 38,816 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter, a stake worth about $10.8 million and its second-largest holding, representing 9.7% of the firm’s portfolio.
• Wall Street remains constructive on RCL overall: analysts currently have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $347.21, despite some recent target cuts from firms like UBS, Citigroup, and TD Cowen.
• Royal Caribbean reported strong quarterly results, including EPS of $3.60 versus $3.20 expected and 11.3% year-over-year revenue growth, while also raising guidance for Q2 2026 and FY 2026 and declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share.

Dougherty & Associates LLC purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 38,816 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,827,000. Royal Caribbean Cruises accounts for approximately 9.7% of Dougherty & Associates LLC's holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,806,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,066,167 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,728,810,000 after buying an additional 461,990 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 49.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 117,162 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,931,000 after buying an additional 38,698 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 19.0% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 39,123 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,659,000 after buying an additional 6,253 shares during the period. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1,231.6% in the 3rd quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 20,173 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,528,000 after buying an additional 18,658 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on RCL. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $309.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $349.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $377.00 to $348.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $410.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $347.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,385 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.18, for a total transaction of $453,144.30. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,849 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,203,935.82. This represents a 9.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $311.54, for a total transaction of $76,475,593.04. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,435,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,120,443,401.40. This trade represents a 1.47% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 1,640,836 shares of company stock valued at $519,971,328. 6.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighted Royal Caribbean’s push to use AI to enhance margins, personalize vacations, and drive more pre-cruise spending through its digital ecosystem, which could support profitability over time. Royal Caribbean Bets Big on AI to Enhance Margins & Guest Experience
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen lowered its price target on RCL to $337 from $350, but maintained a buy rating, signaling continued confidence in upside from current levels despite the trim. TD Cowen note on Royal Caribbean
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary asked whether Wall Street is broadly bullish or bearish on Royal Caribbean Cruises, reflecting ongoing debate around cruise-line valuations rather than a clear new catalyst. Is Wall Street bullish or bearish on Royal Caribbean Cruises stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean’s CEO being appointed to the Make-A-Wish America national board is positive for corporate image, but it is unlikely to move the stock on its own. Royal Caribbean CEO’s Make A Wish Role And The Investor Story
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Caribbean was included in a bearish consumer-discretionary note warning that the sector may be vulnerable after a strong run, which can weigh on sentiment toward RCL and similar travel names. Royal Caribbean Cruises and Other Consumer Discretionary Stocks to Sell

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE:RCL opened at $260.38 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $69.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company's 50-day moving average is $272.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $282.78. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $232.60 and a 12-month high of $366.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.20 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $4.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.46 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 45.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.71 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 3.830-3.930 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 17.100-17.500 EPS. Research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.28 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio is 36.61%.

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.

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