Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) shares rose by 3.01%, reaching a 20-day high of $273.39 amid a broader market decline, with the Nasdaq-100 down 0.31% and the S&P 500 down 0.15%.
The increase in RCL's stock price is attributed to the company's announcement of a $2 billion stock buyback program and a quarterly dividend of $1 per share, reinforcing investor confidence and demonstrating strong financial health. This comes despite the overall market weakness, indicating sector rotation as investors seek value in companies with solid capital return strategies.
The approval of the buyback program and the dividend declaration highlight Royal Caribbean's commitment to enhancing shareholder value, which could attract more investors and support future stock performance.
Wall Street analysts forecast RCL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for RCL is 327.80 USD with a low forecast of 275.00 USD and a high forecast of 400.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
16 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast RCL stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for RCL is 327.80 USD with a low forecast of 275.00 USD and a high forecast of 400.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
12 Buy
4 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 291.600
Low
275.00
Averages
327.80
High
400.00
Current: 291.600
Low
275.00
Averages
327.80
High
400.00
Goldman Sachs
Buy
maintain
$275 -> $310
2026-01-23
Reason
Goldman Sachs
Price Target
$275 -> $310
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
maintain
Buy
Reason
Goldman Sachs raised the firm's price target on Royal Caribbean to $310 from $275 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. Cruise sentiment has been mixed, with December strength giving way to renewed competitive concerns from Wave Season promotions, shifting focus to the pace and drivers of net yield acceleration from Q2 into the second half, the analyst tells investors in a research note. For Royal Caribbean, initial 2026 guidance is expected to call for 1.5%-3.5% net yield growth and EPS of at least $17.50, with attention centered on a second half ramp driven by new ships, private destinations, and easier comps, alongside potential upside from strong cost control, the firm says.
Mizuho
Outperform
maintain
$378 -> $381
2026-01-22
Reason
Mizuho
Price Target
$378 -> $381
2026-01-22
maintain
Outperform
Reason
Mizuho raised the firm's price target on Royal Caribbean to $381 from $378 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm sees currency and fuel costs being tailwinds for the company in Q4. It updated Royal's model ahead of the earnings report.
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Truist
C. Patrick Scholes
Hold
downgrade
$321 -> $318
2026-01-22
Reason
Truist
C. Patrick Scholes
Price Target
$321 -> $318
2026-01-22
downgrade
Hold
Reason
Truist analyst C. Patrick Scholes lowered the firm's price target on Royal Caribbean to $318 from $321 and keeps a Hold rating on the shares as part of a broader research note on Cruise Lines. The firm notes that from its lengthy conversations over the past month with senior executives in the travel industry and from examining "big data" on future cruise bookings and pricing, the bottom line is that supply for the contemporary/mass-market segment continues to be slightly higher than that of demand, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Truist adds that investors should have relatively low-expectations for first-half net yield growth.
Stifel
Buy
downgrade
$400 -> $380
2026-01-20
Reason
Stifel
Price Target
$400 -> $380
2026-01-20
downgrade
Buy
Reason
Stifel lowered the firm's price target on Royal Caribbean to $380 from $400 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. Heading into the company providing guidance, the firm believes initial 2026 guidance "will be fair and should provide 'some' cushion for upside throughout the year," but warns investors not to expect "the significant outperformance relative to initial guidance that's been witnessed post-COVID." It "wouldn't surprise us" if Royal's initial guidance underwhelms and shares experience a near-term correction, the analyst added.
About RCL
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a cruise company, which owns and operates three global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises. It also has an interest in TUI Cruises GmbH, which operates the German brands TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. Its ships offer a selection of worldwide itineraries that call on approximately 1,000 destinations on all seven continents. Royal Caribbean International offers cruises and land destinations that generally feature a casual ambiance, as well as a variety of activities and entertainment venues. Celebrity Cruises offers a range of itineraries to destinations, including Alaska, Asia, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, New Zealand, the Panama Canal and South America, with cruise lengths ranging from three to 14 nights. It also offers a range of private land destinations through Perfect Day at CocoCay, includes full water park, zip line course, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
