Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co Buys New Stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Key Points

• Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co. bought 41,254 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises worth approximately $13.1 million in the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 87.53% of the company.
• Royal Caribbean reported quarterly EPS of $4.21, beating estimates of $3.98, while revenue reached $4.83 billion, up 6.5% year over year. The company provided fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $17.730–$17.870.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $353.40 versus the reported share price of $292.29. CEO Michael Bayley separately sold 12,811 shares for about $4.05 million.

Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 41,254 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,099,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Westpac Banking Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter worth $305,000. TRB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $211,000. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,373,000. Concord Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter valued at about $6,421,000. Finally, Korea Investment CORP purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter valued at about $65,117,000. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE RCL opened at $292.29 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $78.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $304.42 and a 200 day moving average of $291.43. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 1 year low of $232.10 and a 1 year high of $366.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.98 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.82 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 23.54%.The company's revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.38 EPS. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.730-17.870 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.260-6.360 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 12,811 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total transaction of $4,048,147.89. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 45,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,313,399.03. This represents a 22.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 6.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on RCL. Mizuho set a $380.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $370.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $327.00 to $362.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $351.00 to $340.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $372.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $353.40.

Royal Caribbean Cruises 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RCL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source