Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL Shares Sold by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 44.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 9,320 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,329 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $2,600,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Capital International Investors increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.9% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 32,949,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,662,989,000 after buying an additional 308,330 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 30,253,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,438,292,000 after buying an additional 187,283 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased 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 in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.7% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,474,766 shares of the company’s stock valued at $800,785,000 after buying an additional 65,714 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.6% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,416,098 shares of the company’s stock valued at $458,221,000 after buying an additional 62,803 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of RCL opened at $263.87 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.20. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a one year low of $223.00 and a one year high of $366.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.10, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 1.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $278.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $285.14.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $3.60 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 firm had revenue of $4.45 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.46 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 3rd. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is presently 36.61%.

Key Stories Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 results and fleet growth: RCL reported robust Q1 results (about $4.45B revenue, ~$941M net income, ~109% load factor), record bookings and confirmed additional Icon‑class ship orders through 2030, supporting both near‑term cash flow and long‑term capacity growth. How Investors Are Reacting To Royal Caribbean (RCL) Strong Q1 2026 Results And New Icon Ship Orders
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: J.P. Morgan moved RCL to a Buy, providing institutional validation that likely boosted investor demand. Royal Caribbean (RCL) Receives a Buy from J.P. Morgan
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return: The Board declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.50 per share (payable July 2, record June 3), signaling confidence in the company’s cash generation and supporting income‑oriented investors. Royal Caribbean Group Declares Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst price target upside: Consensus analyst target noted around $352.89, implying meaningful upside from current levels and reinforcing buy/hold narratives. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) Receives $352.89 Consensus Target Price from Analysts
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/fuel fears viewed as manageable by some analysts: Commentary (Seeking Alpha) argues fuel‑cost risks are largely priced in, reducing one common downside concern for the trade. Royal Caribbean Cruises: Buy The Fuel Fears – Risks Mostly Baked In
• Neutral Sentiment: Increased market attention: Media and retail interest (Zacks, Jim Cramer mentions) are driving extra volume and visibility but are not direct fundamentals. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) is a Trending Stock Jim Cramer Reveals Why He Likes Royal Caribbean (RCL)
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds: Competitor Norwegian cut its outlook and flagged softer demand and higher fuel costs amid geopolitical risk (e.g., impacts from the Iran conflict), which could pressure industry sentiment and margins if costs or demand weaken. Norwegian Cruise Line Cuts Outlook as Headwinds Build (RCL) Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Sinks. How the War in Iran Is Hitting Its Earnings Forecast.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on RCL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $296.00 price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $410.00 price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $325.00 to $330.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $415.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $327.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $347.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, insider Laura H. Bethge sold 7,854 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.21, for a total value of $2,562,053.34. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 32,786 shares in the company, valued at $10,695,121.06. This represents a 19.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Arne Alexander Wilhelmsen sold 245,476 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $311.54, for a total value of $76,475,593.04. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,435,910 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,120,443,401.40. The trade was a 1.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,967,319 shares of company stock worth $626,681,935. 6.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.