William Blair Issues Optimistic Forecast for RCL Earnings

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCLFree Report) – Equities researchers at William Blair boosted their Q2 2025 earnings per share estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note issued on Monday, April 21st. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $3.98 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $3.85. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ current full-year earnings is $14.90 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Q3 2025 earnings at $5.85 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $15.07 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $17.77 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on RCL. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $220.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, March 27th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $262.00 target price on the stock. Tigress Financial raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $270.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $232.00 to $272.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Mizuho reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $253.00 target price (down previously from $255.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $272.53.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

RCL opened at $211.49 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.78, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 2.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $212.88 and a 200-day moving average of $226.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a 12-month low of $130.08 and a 12-month high of $277.08.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCLGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.13. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 48.97%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.25 earnings per share.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RCL. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 618.8% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 115 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Bay Harbor Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Capital A Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 58,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.95, for a total value of $15,193,100.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 143,214 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,514,907.30. This trade represents a 28.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 17,000 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.62, for a total value of $4,447,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 42,127 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,021,265.74. This represents a 28.75 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 109,492 shares of company stock worth $28,571,705. 7.95% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 4th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This is an increase from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.55. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.06%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 1.5% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. operates as a cruise company worldwide. The company operates cruises under the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands, which comprise a range of itineraries. As of February 21, 2024, it operated 65 ships. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Further Reading

Earnings History and Estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL)

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