Lazard Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. $RCL

Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) by 43.1% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 76,908 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,175 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises were worth $21,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC now owns 2,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $693,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLC now owns 779 shares of the company’s stock worth $217,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 1,208 shares of the company’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. grew its stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 1,191 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 16.8% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 243 shares of the company’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Royal Caribbean Cruises

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

• Positive Sentiment: RCL reported adjusted second-quarter EPS of $4.21, above the $3.98 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 6.5% year over year to $4.83 billion, narrowly exceeding expectations. Results benefited from strong close-in demand, onboard spending, lower costs and favorable joint-venture performance. Royal Caribbean Group Reports Second Quarter Results Above Expectations and Raises Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $17.73-$17.87, above the prior consensus near $17.32, and maintained third-quarter EPS guidance of $6.26-$6.36. Management cited resilient demand, cost efficiencies and strong pricing as key drivers. Royal Caribbean Lifts Full-Year EPS Forecast on Strong Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: RCL’s earnings beat was partially offset by an outlook adjustment: full-year revenue guidance was reduced to approximately $19.5 billion, below the roughly $19.6 billion analyst estimate. The company’s ability to convert strong close-in demand into sustained bookings will remain important for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Prolonged geopolitical uncertainty is pressuring bookings and led management to lower its revenue-growth forecast. Second-quarter EPS also declined from $4.38 a year earlier, while rising costs remain a risk to margins despite the improved full-year profit outlook. Royal Caribbean Cuts Revenue Outlook as Bookings Remain Pressured

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 5.8%

NYSE RCL opened at $322.79 on Wednesday. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 52 week low of $232.10 and a 52 week high of $366.50. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $291.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $289.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.17, a current ratio of 0.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The firm has a market cap of $86.57 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 1.76.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $4.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.99 by $0.22. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 24.36% and a return on equity of 45.25%. The company had revenue of $4.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.82 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.38 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 17.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on RCL shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $350.00 to $337.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $296.00 price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $321.00 to $309.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Freedom Capital raised Royal Caribbean Cruises to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 3rd. Finally, Loop Capital initiated coverage on Royal Caribbean Cruises in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $304.00 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $345.05.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Company Profile

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.