Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) CEO Michael Bayley Sells 80,000 Shares

by · The Markets Daily

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) CEO Michael Bayley sold 80,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $326.82, for a total value of $26,145,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 58,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,990,856.56. The trade was a 57.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Down 4.1%

Shares of RCL traded down $13.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $319.26. 2,393,028 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,499,937. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has a 12-month low of $164.01 and a 12-month high of $366.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $296.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $303.37. The firm has a market cap of $86.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.45, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 1.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.80. The business had revenue of $4.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will post 14.9 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Royal Caribbean Cruises Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Royal Caribbean Cruises’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.00. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s payout ratio is currently 25.62%.

Key Headlines 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)

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RCL. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 11.1% in the second quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 433,018 shares of the company’s stock valued at $135,595,000 after acquiring an additional 43,184 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises in the 3rd quarter valued at about $4,806,000. Marion Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $291,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 7.4% during the second quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 180,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,539,000 after acquiring an additional 12,475 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in Royal Caribbean Cruises by 253.7% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 556,061 shares of the company’s stock worth $179,241,000 after purchasing an additional 398,849 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research report on Friday, December 26th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $353.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Susquehanna set a $350.00 price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $332.00 to $398.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $310.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Royal Caribbean Cruises currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $348.29.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Royal Caribbean Cruises

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

(Get Free Report)

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.

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