Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Bought by Clough Capital Partners L P

Key Points

• Clough Capital Partners increased its Royal Caribbean stake by 73.2% in Q4, buying 48,370 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 114,441 shares valued at about $31.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains very high, with about 87.53% of Royal Caribbean shares held by institutions and hedge funds. Other major investors including Capital International Investors, Vanguard, and Capital Research Global Investors also added to positions.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on the stock despite some target-price cuts, with a Moderate Buy consensus and average price target of $345.53. Royal Caribbean also posted stronger-than-expected Q1 results, beating EPS estimates and raising guidance for 2026.

Clough Capital Partners L P boosted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 73.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 114,441 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,370 shares during the period. Royal Caribbean Cruises comprises about 2.8% of Clough Capital Partners L P's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Clough Capital Partners L P's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $31,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital International Investors raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 36,165,358 shares of the company's stock worth $10,088,156,000 after acquiring an additional 3,215,382 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,253,450 shares of the company's stock worth $8,438,292,000 after acquiring an additional 187,283 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 20,176,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,627,669,000 after buying an additional 920,042 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,576,751 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,433,052,000 after buying an additional 84,202 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,054,191 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,961,758,000 after buying an additional 155,491 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on RCL shares. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $337.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $296.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $376.00 to $341.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Mizuho set a $380.00 target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $349.00 to $360.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $345.53.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Lower crude oil prices and easing fuel-cost concerns could help improve margins for Royal Caribbean, since fuel is a major operating expense for cruise lines. Stocks Supported by Lower Crude Oil Prices and Bond Yields
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest remains elevated, with multiple articles noting that RCL has been attracting attention and that the stock has shown strong recent momentum, which can support trading volume and sentiment. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Caribbean opened its upgraded Seward terminal in Alaska and continues expanding its Alaska presence, reinforcing long-term growth and product investment. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Opens Seward Terminal As Alaska Push Meets Health Questions
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary suggest Royal Caribbean may still be undervalued despite its recent run-up, indicating the stock could retain support if earnings trends hold. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) Stock Could Be 20% Undervalued Despite A 5.6% Overvalued Narrative
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean also announced a branding-focused Artist Discovery Program for Legend of the Seas, which is positive for marketing but not likely a near-term earnings driver. ROYAL CARIBBEAN SELECTS COHORT OF LEGENDARY ARTISTS TO BE FEATURED ON LEGEND OF THE SEAS
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary points to stretched valuation after the stock’s strong multi-month run, suggesting some investors may be taking profits. Royal Caribbean: The Oil Price Drag And Possible Surprise
• Negative Sentiment: RCL also faced a larger decline than the broader market in the latest session, showing that momentum can reverse quickly after a strong advance. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Suffers a Larger Drop Than the General Market: Key Insights

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $301.09 on Thursday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $232.10 and a 12-month high of $366.50. The stock has a market cap of $80.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $274.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $285.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 45.25%. The firm had revenue of $4.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.46 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises's revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 3rd. 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 currently 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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