Royal Caribbean Cruises Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:RCL)

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) saw some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 19,572 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 169% compared to the average daily volume of 7,284 put options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Royal Caribbean Cruises

In other news, CEO Michael Bayley sold 12,811 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 45,297 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,313,399.03. This represents a 22.05% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 6.44% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Royal Caribbean Cruises

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RCL. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in the second quarter worth $321,332,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 293,714 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,261,000 after buying an additional 14,018 shares during the last quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter valued at about $3,586,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Royal Caribbean Cruises during the second quarter valued at $650,000. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises during the first quarter valued at approximately $18,080,000. Institutional investors own 87.53% of the company’s stock.

Royal Caribbean Cruises News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Caribbean reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $6.57, ahead of the $6.38 analyst consensus and up from $5.75 a year earlier. GAAP EPS was $6.45, while net income rose to $1.73 billion from $1.58 billion. Royal Caribbean Group Third Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 adjusted EPS forecast to $17.85-$17.95, reflecting the earnings beat and strong close-in demand. The company expects fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.48-$3.58 and said results exceeded its prior guidance. Royal Caribbean Stock Jumps After Earnings and Raised Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue increased 8.8% year over year to $5.59 billion, supported by strong demand. Lower costs due to timing also helped quarterly profitability, and the company has now recorded multiple consecutive EPS beats. Royal Caribbean Earnings Beat and Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly revenue was slightly below the $5.61 billion consensus estimate, meaning the earnings outperformance was driven more by profitability and cost timing than by a major sales beat. Royal Caribbean Key Metrics Compared With Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Higher-than-anticipated fuel costs partially offset the improved outlook, preserving a cost risk for future quarters. In addition, traders purchased 19,572 put options—about 169% above typical volume—indicating increased hedging or bearish speculation, although options activity alone does not establish a fundamental change.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

RCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $355.00 price objective (down from $380.00) on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from $337.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Truist Financial upped their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $297.00 to $298.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Royal Caribbean Cruises from $280.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Royal Caribbean Cruises presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $350.50.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Trading Up 6.8%

NYSE RCL traded up $19.18 on Tuesday, reaching $299.78. The company had a trading volume of 3,205,904 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,536,814. The business has a 50 day moving average of $272.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $286.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 0.21 and a quick ratio of 0.19. Royal Caribbean Cruises has a fifty-two week low of $222.22 and a fifty-two week high of $356.39. The firm has a market cap of $80.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.82.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $6.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $6.38 by $0.19. Royal Caribbean Cruises had a net margin of 23.54% and a return on equity of 43.33%. The business had revenue of $5.59 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.75 earnings per share. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Royal Caribbean Cruises will post 17.78 EPS for the current year.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 8th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 17th were paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 17th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Royal Caribbean Cruises’s dividend payout ratio is 37.08%.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., doing business as Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL), is a global cruise company that operates vacation cruises and related travel experiences. Its fleet visits destinations across the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, Asia, Australia, and other regions, with itineraries that typically include onboard entertainment, dining, accommodations, recreational activities, and shore excursions.

The company’s principal brands include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.