Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 81,393 Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC more than doubled its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 81,393 shares to bring its total position to 156,364 shares worth about $43.8 million.
• Other institutional investors also increased or initiated positions, and institutions now own 87.53% of Royal Caribbean’s stock, highlighting continued strong professional interest in the company.
• Analysts remain generally constructive: Citigroup raised its price target to $362 and the stock carries a consensus Moderate Buy rating, while Royal Caribbean also reported better-than-expected earnings and issued upbeat 2026 guidance.

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 108.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 156,364 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 81,393 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.06% of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth $43,751,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Key Stories Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised near-term earnings estimates for Royal Caribbean, including higher forecasts for Q3 2027, Q4 2027, and Q1 2028, reinforcing expectations for continued profit growth. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broader cruise-sector optimism has been supported by falling oil prices and hopes for lower geopolitical risk, which can improve margins for cruise operators like Royal Caribbean. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean’s latest quarter has been described as its “best quarter ever,” but investors are still weighing whether the stock’s strong operating performance is already reflected in the valuation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Carnival’s earnings miss and revenue weakness are pressuring peer sentiment, but Royal Caribbean is outperforming comparatively, suggesting investors see it as the stronger cruise name right now. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some market coverage continues to flag valuation and risk concerns after the stock’s strong rally, which could limit further upside if earnings growth slows. Article Title

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $348.00 to $362.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 16th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $297.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $304.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating 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 six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $345.58.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $310.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $83.18 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $277.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $286.45. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $232.10 and a one year 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, topping the consensus estimate of $3.20 by $0.40. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 45.25% and a net margin of 24.36%.The company had revenue of $4.45 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, research analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

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.

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