Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Stake Boosted by Virtu Financial LLC

Key Points

• Virtu Financial LLC sharply increased its Royal Caribbean stake by 557.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 12,635 shares valued at about $3.52 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on RCL, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $345.53, though individual targets range from $304 to $410.
• Royal Caribbean posted strong results and guidance, beating Q1 EPS estimates at $3.60 and raising outlook for Q2 2026 and full-year 2026 earnings, while also announcing a $1.50 quarterly dividend.

Virtu Financial LLC lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) by 557.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,635 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,714 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $3,524,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $90,000. Cambient Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Compound Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 187.8% during the 4th quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 11,122 shares of the company's stock worth $3,102,000 after purchasing an additional 7,257 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,211 shares of the company's stock worth $895,000 after purchasing an additional 1,004 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 252.5% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 173,083 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,276,000 after buying an additional 123,985 shares during the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on RCL shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $410.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Mizuho set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $304.00 target price for the company. 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. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $345.53.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Performance

Shares of RCL opened at $312.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $83.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.20 and a quick ratio of 0.17. The company's fifty day moving average price is $275.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $285.51.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.46 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 45.25%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.71 earnings per share. 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, analysts expect that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.27 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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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