Prospera Financial Services Inc Trims Stock Position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Prospera Financial Services Inc reduced its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 36.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,736 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,579 shares during the quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $886,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of RCL. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 0.5% in the second quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 29.1% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 142 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 562 shares of the company’s stock worth $182,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. EWA LLC raised its holdings in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. EWA LLC now owns 794 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.1% during the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. 87.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Down 4.1%

Royal Caribbean Cruises stock opened at $319.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.18. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a twelve month low of $164.01 and a twelve month high of $366.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $296.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $303.15. The firm has a market cap of $86.37 billion, a PE ratio of 20.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.91.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The firm had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.28 billion. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.80% and a return on equity of 45.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.63 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 10th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is presently 38.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jason T. Liberty sold 90,910 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.81, for a total transaction of $29,710,297.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 218,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $71,513,217.82. This trade represents a 29.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Naftali Holtz sold 51,131 shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $327.39, for a total value of $16,739,778.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 28,116 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,204,897.24. The trade was a 64.52% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 226,483 shares of company stock worth $74,052,607 in the last quarter. 6.95% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 2025 results showed solid demand and margin recovery — revenue and EPS rose ~13% and ~36% year‑over‑year, operating profit jumped ~49%, and operating cash generation improved. These fundamentals support analyst bullishness and longer‑term earnings upgrades. RCL Q4 2025 Earnings (QuiverQuant)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street remains constructive: broker consensus is around a “Moderate Buy” and many firms maintain buy/overweight ratings with price targets well above current levels — a tailwind for the stock if sentiment persists. Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy (AmericanBankingNews)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research nudged near‑term EPS estimates slightly higher for Q1 and Q2, signaling some upward revision to the company’s short‑term earnings outlook. (These are modest changes but supportive.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also published longer‑range projections (FY2027/FY2028) that are mixed — a small cut to FY2027 was offset by higher FY2028 expectations — leaving medium‑term consensus roughly intact.
• Negative Sentiment: Royal Caribbean priced $2.5 billion of senior unsecured notes ($1.25B due 2033 at 4.75% and $1.25B due 2038 at 5.25%). The deal increases debt and fixed interest obligations, which can pressure the stock, especially given already elevated capex and leverage metrics. Pricing of Senior Unsecured Notes (PR Newswire) Royal Caribbean Issues $2.5 Billion in Senior Notes (TipRanks)
• Negative Sentiment: High near‑term capital spending: management’s reported capex jumped materially in Q4, and Quiver data shows insider sales in recent months — both factors can worry investors about future free cash flow and signal reduced insider conviction. Capex & Insider Activity (QuiverQuant)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RCL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $318.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $275.00 to $334.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $379.00 target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $348.29.

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.