8,992 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Sold by Sowell Financial Services LLC

Key Points

• Sowell Financial Services LLC cut its Royal Caribbean stake by 75.1% in the third quarter, selling 8,992 shares and retaining 2,987 shares valued at approximately $794,000. Institutional investors overall own 87.53% of RCL.
• Royal Caribbean beat third-quarter earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $6.57 and revenue of $5.59 billion, while raising its 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.85-$17.95. Analysts remain broadly bullish, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $355.62.
• Despite strong demand, occupancy and onboard spending, ticket revenue per passenger declined for a second straight quarter. The planned debt-funded $3 billion Sandals and Beaches Resorts investment could expand growth but also increase leverage and execution risk.

Sowell Financial Services LLC decreased its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 75.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,987 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,992 shares during the quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $794,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of RCL. 55 North Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.2% during the third quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 890 shares of the company's stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.5% in the second quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 2,647 shares of the company's stock worth $841,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.1% in the first quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 1,171 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Platform Technology Partners raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.9% during the second quarter. Platform Technology Partners now owns 982 shares of the company's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the period. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.1% during the second quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 854 shares of the company's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company's stock.

Key Royal Caribbean Cruises News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Caribbean exceeded third-quarter earnings expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $6.57 versus a $6.38 consensus estimate. Revenue reached approximately $5.59 billion, and management raised full-year 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.85-$17.95. Royal Caribbean Cruises Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains favorable. Citigroup raised its price target to $364 while maintaining a Buy rating, and Freedom Broker upgraded RCL from Hold to Buy with a $379 target. Wells Fargo also expects the stock to rise. Citigroup Royal Caribbean price target
• Positive Sentiment: Strong demand from affluent travelers, high occupancy, improving EBITDA margins and continued onboard spending support Royal Caribbean’s premium positioning. A better-than-expected cruise-industry quarter also lifted sentiment across the sector. Royal Caribbean Strong Earnings Results
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is hedging more than 60% of expected 2026 fuel costs, which should reduce near-term exposure to energy-price volatility. However, fuel remains an industry-wide cost concern. Cruise companies aim to keep fuel costs down
• Negative Sentiment: Ticket revenue per passenger per day declined for a second consecutive quarter. Analysts say onboard spending and premium destinations have offset the weakness, but additional Caribbean capacity could further pressure pricing and net yields. Royal Caribbean Beats Its Guidance, But Ticket Prices Fall
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Caribbean plans to fund its approximately $3 billion acquisition of a 50% stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts with debt. The deal could expand its vacation ecosystem and capture more customer spending, but it will increase leverage and expose the company to integration and economic-downturn risks. Could Royal Caribbean Stock Survive a Sandals Deal Gone Wrong?

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

NYSE RCL opened at $306.99 on Monday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $271.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $286.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.22 and a quick ratio of 0.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.88. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52-week low of $222.22 and a 52-week high of $356.39.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $6.38 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $5.59 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.61 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.78% and a return on equity of 43.40%. The firm's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.75 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 17th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.52%.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, Director Maritza Montiel sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $307.21, for a total value of $122,884.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,055,786.42. This represents a 2.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 6.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RCL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $345.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $357.00 to $392.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Bank of America raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $330.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Citigroup increased their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $362.00 to $364.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $355.62.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., doing business as Royal Caribbean Group NYSE: RCL, is a global cruise company that operates vacation cruises and related travel experiences. Its fleet visits destinations across the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia, and other regions, with itineraries that typically include onboard entertainment, dining, accommodations, recreational activities, and shore excursions.

The company's principal brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.

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