Zacks Research Has Optimistic Outlook of RCL Q3 Earnings

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, August 11th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $6.32 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $6.29. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ current full-year earnings is $17.79 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Q4 2026 earnings at $3.60 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $17.73 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.66 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $5.99 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $4.49 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $19.10 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $4.92 EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $5.49 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $22.09 EPS.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.98 by $0.23. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a return on equity of 43.33% and a net margin of 23.54%.The firm had revenue of $4.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.38 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Royal Caribbean Cruises has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.730-17.870 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 6.260-6.360 EPS.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on RCL. Loop Capital started coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $304.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $327.00 to $362.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $318.00 to $297.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $351.00 to $340.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $353.40.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Price Performance

RCL opened at $307.90 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $302.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $291.90. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a fifty-two week low of $232.10 and a fifty-two week high of $366.50. The firm has a market cap of $82.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 1.77.

Insider Transactions at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other Royal Caribbean Cruises news, CEO Michael W. Bayley sold 12,811 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.99, for a total value of $4,048,147.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 45,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,313,399.03. This represents a 22.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 6.44% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter worth approximately $6,549,422,000. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 36,165,358 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,088,156,000 after purchasing an additional 3,215,382 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 4th quarter worth approximately $456,752,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $381,271,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 25,747.4% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,202,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $335,307,000 after purchasing an additional 1,197,510 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.