Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $291.60, but opened at $316.15. Royal Caribbean Cruises shares last traded at $335.9140, with a volume of 2,713,268 shares.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.70–$18.10 and said the 2025 quarter exceeded guidance, supported by a record start to the WAVE booking season — this is the main catalyst for the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported strong demand from higher‑spending customers and rising onboard spending, which lifted revenue and profit expectations for the year. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are reacting: Goldman Sachs raised its view on RCL (and lifted its price target), citing cost discipline and new ships — this analyst support reinforces investor confidence. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Caribbean announced fleet expansion initiatives (Discovery Class ship orders and additional Celebrity River Cruises ships), which signal long‑term revenue growth but also imply multiyear capital commitments. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results were essentially in line but some outlets flagged a small miss on revenue/consensus or that certain metrics lagged estimates — a reminder that near‑term execution and margin tracking still matter. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

RCL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna set a $350.00 price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen lowered Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $328.76.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Up 14.5%

The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $279.45 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.16. The stock has a market cap of $91.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 1.94. The company has a current ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 0.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 44.68% and a net margin of 23.33%. Equities analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 26th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is presently 26.90%.

Royal Caribbean Cruises declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 10th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In related news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.76, for a total value of $309,936.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,234 shares in the company, valued at $4,010,571.84. This trade represents a 7.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 6.95% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 40.8% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 20,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,297,000 after buying an additional 6,063 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth $287,000. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC bought a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter worth about $403,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 19.5% in the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 44,162 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,829,000 after acquiring an additional 7,210 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

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.