Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Stock: Insider Maritza Gomez Montiel Sells 400 Shares

Key Points

• Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 400 RCL shares at an average price of $307.21, receiving $122,884 and reducing her direct holdings by 2.94% to 13,202 shares.
• Royal Caribbean reported quarterly EPS of $6.57, exceeding the $6.38 consensus estimate, while revenue reached $5.59 billion and rose 8.8% year over year.
• Despite a 1.1% share-price decline to $306.99, analysts remain broadly positive, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $354; risks include falling ticket revenue per passenger and increased leverage from the planned Sandals acquisition.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) Director Maritza Montiel sold 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.21, for a total transaction of $122,884.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 13,202 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,055,786.42. The trade was a 2.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of RCL stock traded down $3.55 on Friday, reaching $306.99. 1,909,467 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,543,177. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $222.22 and a 52 week high of $356.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.11 billion, a PE ratio of 18.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.82. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $271.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.73.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.38 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $5.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.75 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.91 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were given 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 yield of 2.0%. Royal Caribbean Cruises's payout ratio is currently 37.08%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RCL. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter worth about $6,549,422,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.6% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,689,134 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,409,971,000 after acquiring an additional 270,930 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter valued at approximately $669,804,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,957,044 shares of the company's stock valued at $538,393,000 after acquiring an additional 38,748 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $597,350,000. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Roundup

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?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on RCL. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $337.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $345.00 to $394.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $362.00 to $364.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a "buy" rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Monday, September 28th. Twenty-one analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $354.00.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company 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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