Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE:RCL) Shrinks Into Consolidation Despite Strong Margin Profile

Royal Caribbean Group shows robust operating profitability but a pressured technical setup suggests near-term consolidation with a downside bias. Fundamentals point to above-peer margins and persistent leverage that shape valuation tension.

Recent News

May 5, 2026 — The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share payable July 2, 2026. April 28, 2026 — Royal Caribbean announced deployment of free Starlink high-speed, low-latency internet in Juneau. May 21, 2026 — Royal Caribbean named Exit Glacier Greenhouses a 2026 “Port Partners” small-business accelerator awardee. June 10, 2026 — Royal Caribbean officially welcomed the Legend of the Seas to its fleet.

Technical Analysis

Directional indicators show competing impulses: ADX at 12.07 signals no established trend, while DI+ peaked and reversed — a bearish directional change — and DI- decreased, which typically signals bullish pressure; together these read as short-term directional conflict that favors consolidation under low trend strength.

MACD sits negative at -0.51 with a decreasing trend and a signal line at 1.80; that configuration denotes weakening momentum and favors downward pressure on price momentum versus prior strength.

MRO registers 22.26 and is decreasing; because the oscillator is positive, price sits above WMDST’s target framework and therefore carries potential to correct downward toward value-adjusted levels absent fresh bullish momentum.

RSI near 49.2 with a recent dip-and-reversal indicates a local recovery from oversold intraday impulses but lacks expansion into bullish territory; RSI behavior complements a consolidation bias rather than a breakout setup.

Price sits at $286.16, just below the 12-day and 26-day EMAs (price12day EMA $290.84, price26day EMA $292.22) and essentially aligned with the 20-day average $291.11 and 200-day average $284.34. Bollinger band spacing (±1σ around $291.11 with ±1σ bounds ~$279.86–$302.35) and a super trend upper at $310.25 suggest limited immediate upside room and a structural range between the mid-$260s and low-$310s unless momentum indicators turn decisively bullish.

 


Fundamental Analysis

Operating profit measures reveal profitability well above peers: EBIT margin equals 28.17%, substantially above the industry peer mean (~9.887%) and industry peer high (~17.066%). QoQ EBIT margin improved by 7.76 percentage points and YoY rose 14.24 percentage points, underscoring notable margin expansion versus prior periods.

Revenue totaled $4,452,000,000 with reported revenue growth of 4.56% year-over-year, but the provided QoQ revenue change shows a -126.58% figure; on balance, YoY revenue contracted by 28.00%, indicating volatile top-line comparisons across periods and seasonality effects that pressure near-term topline momentum.

Cash generation stands firm: operating cash flow $1,290,000,000 and free cash flow $1,334,000,000 produce a free cash flow yield of 1.77%, above the industry peer mean of roughly 1.04%. Free cash flow grew 32.83% YoY but fell QoQ by 10.40%.

Leverage and liquidity present offsetting risks. Net debt equals $20.602 billion and debt-to-EBITDA reads 12.71x, a high leverage multiple that elevates sensitivity to margin or volume shocks. Interest coverage at 4.51x sits above the industry peer mean (~1.98x) and eases short-term coverage pressure, while current ratio and quick ratio (0.20 and 0.17) remain below typical short-term coverage norms and below the industry peer mean/median, indicating tight near-term liquidity despite cash balances of $512,000,000.

Valuation metrics show market-implied premium: trailing P/E around 78.13 and P/B about 7.69, both above peer medians; forward P/E about 58.15 also exceeds the industry peer mean for forward P/E. WMDST values the stock as over-valued, reflecting the gap between elevated market multiples and leverage-sensitive fundamentals.

MOST-RECENT QUARTERLY REPORT
REPORT PERIOD ENDING: 2026-03-31
REPORT DATE: 2026-04-30
NEXT REPORT DATE: 2026-07-30
CASH FLOW  Begin Period Cash Flow 825.0 M
 Operating Cash Flow 1.3 B
 Capital Expenditures -500.00 M
 Change In Working Capital 317.0 M
 Dividends Paid -270.00 M
 Cash Flow Delta -313.00 M
 End Period Cash Flow 512.0 M
 
INCOME STATEMENT REVENUE
 Total Revenue 4.5 B
 Forward Revenue 1.6 B
COSTS
 Cost Of Revenue 2.2 B
 Depreciation 461.0 M
 Depreciation and Amortization 461.0 M
 Research and Development
 Total Operating Expenses 3.3 B
PROFITABILITY
 Gross Profit 2.2 B
 EBITDA 1.7 B
 EBIT 1.3 B
 Operating Income 1.2 B
 Interest Income 5.0 M
 Interest Expense 278.0 M
 Net Interest Income -273.00 M
 Income Before Tax 976.0 M
 Tax Provision 26.0 M
 Tax Rate 2.664 %
 Net Income 941.0 M
 Net Income From Continuing Operations 950.0 M
EARNINGS
 EPS Estimate 3.20
 EPS Actual 3.60
 EPS Difference 0.40
 EPS Surprise 12.5 %
 Forward EPS 5.01
 
BALANCE SHEET ASSETS
 Total Assets 42.0 B
 Intangible Assets 808.0 M
 Net Tangible Assets 9.0 B
 Total Current Assets 2.2 B
 Cash and Short-Term Investments 512.0 M
 Cash 512.0 M
 Net Receivables 479.0 M
 Inventory 271.0 M
 Long-Term Investments 2.5 B
LIABILITIES
 Accounts Payable 1.0 B
 Short-Term Debt 1.4 B
 Total Current Liabilities 11.1 B
 Net Debt 20.6 B
 Total Debt 21.8 B
 Total Liabilities 32.0 B
EQUITY
 Total Equity 9.8 B
 Retained Earnings 6.5 B
VALUATION & PER-SHARE METRICS EQUITY & PER-SHARE METRICS
 Book Value Per-Share 36.58
 Shares Outstanding 268.191 M
 Revenue Per-Share 16.60
VALUATION
 Market Capitalization 75.4 B
 Enterprise Value 96.7 B
 Enterprise Multiple 56.393
Enterprise Multiple QoQ -10.356 %
Enterprise Multiple YoY 1.087 %
Enterprise Multiple IPRWA high: 61.865
RCL: 56.393
median: 50.552
mean: 48.68
low: -16.979
 EV/R 21.724
CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Asset To Equity 4.28
 Asset To Liability 1.314
 Debt To Capital 0.69
 Debt To Assets 0.519
Debt To Assets QoQ -1.978 %
Debt To Assets YoY -3.39 %
Debt To Assets IPRWA high: 0.637
mean: 0.535
RCL: 0.519
low: 0.516
median: 0.516
 Debt To Equity 2.221
Debt To Equity QoQ 1.186 %
Debt To Equity YoY -12.111 %
Debt To Equity IPRWA high: 10.534
mean: 2.655
RCL: 2.221
median: 2.042
low: -5.63
PRICE-BASED VALUATION
 Price To Book (P/B) 7.689
Price To Book QoQ -0.16 %
Price To Book YoY 5.066 %
Price To Book IPRWA RCL: 7.689
high: 3.815
mean: 3.03
median: 3.006
low: 1.159
 Price To Earnings (P/E) 78.13
Price To Earnings QoQ -23.472 %
Price To Earnings YoY -1.304 %
Price To Earnings IPRWA high: 141.382
median: 141.382
mean: 109.375
RCL: 78.13
low: 23.86
 PE/G Ratio 2.735
 Price To Sales (P/S) 16.944
Price To Sales QoQ -6.671 %
Price To Sales YoY 16.31 %
Price To Sales IPRWA RCL: 16.944
high: 6.353
median: 6.304
mean: 5.737
low: 1.836
FORWARD MULTIPLES
Forward P/E 58.149
Forward PE/G 2.035
Forward P/S 47.456
EFFICIENCY OPERATIONAL
 Operating Leverage 2.781
ASSET & SALES
 Asset Turnover Ratio 0.106
Asset Turnover Ratio QoQ 2.207 %
Asset Turnover Ratio YoY -0.764 %
Asset Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 0.194
mean: 0.122
median: 0.119
RCL: 0.106
low: 0.101
 Receivables Turnover 11.186
Receivables Turnover Ratio QoQ -11.6 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio YoY 11.608 %
Receivables Turnover Ratio IPRWA RCL: 11.186
high: 9.195
median: 9.195
mean: 8.718
low: 1.348
 Inventory Turnover 8.4
Inventory Turnover Ratio QoQ -0.107 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio YoY 5.303 %
Inventory Turnover Ratio IPRWA high: 9.158
RCL: 8.4
median: 7.762
mean: 7.461
low: 0.059
 Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) 8.158
CASH CYCLE
 Cash Conversion Cycle Days (CCC) -20.915
Cash Conversion Cycle Days QoQ 32.81 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days YoY -0.407 %
Cash Conversion Cycle Days IPRWA high: 59.837
median: -4.565
mean: -7.445
RCL: -20.915
low: -154.768
CAPITAL DEPLOYMENT
 Cash Conversion Ratio -0.502
 CapEx To Revenue -0.112
 CapEx To Depreciation -1.085
 
CAPITAL, LIQUIDITY & COVERAGE CAPITAL STRUCTURE
 Total Capital 29.5 B
 Net Invested Capital 30.9 B
 Invested Capital 30.9 B
 Net Tangible Assets 9.0 B
 Net Working Capital -8.86 B
LIQUIDITY
 Cash Ratio 0.046
 Current Ratio 0.199
Current Ratio QoQ 8.604 %
Current Ratio YoY 12.232 %
Current Ratio IPRWA high: 3.388
mean: 0.606
median: 0.299
low: 0.21
RCL: 0.199
 Quick Ratio 0.175
Quick Ratio QoQ 8.16 %
Quick Ratio YoY 14.461 %
Quick Ratio IPRWA high: 2.671
mean: 0.475
median: 0.258
low: 0.184
RCL: 0.175
COVERAGE & LEVERAGE
 Debt To EBITDA 12.707
 Cost Of Debt 0.981 %
 Interest Coverage Ratio 4.511
Interest Coverage Ratio QoQ 8.21 %
Interest Coverage Ratio YoY 13.913 %
Interest Coverage Ratio IPRWA RCL: 4.511
high: 2.929
mean: 1.981
median: 1.962
low: 1.649
 Operating Cash Flow Ratio 0.117
TIMING / LIQUIDITY
 Days Payables Outstanding (DPO) 39.965
DIVIDENDS
 Dividend Coverage Ratio 3.485
 Dividend Payout Ratio 0.287
 Dividend Rate 1.01
 Dividend Yield 0.004
PERFORMANCE GROWTH
 Asset Growth Rate 0.891 %
 Revenue Growth 4.556 %
Revenue Growth QoQ -126.576 %
Revenue Growth YoY -28.003 %
Revenue Growth IPRWA RCL: 4.556 %
high: 3.868 %
mean: -2.253 %
median: -2.607 %
low: -6.244 %
 Earnings Growth 28.571 %
Earnings Growth QoQ -155.69 %
Earnings Growth YoY -56.879 %
Earnings Growth IPRWA RCL: 28.571 %
high: 12.5 %
mean: -32.354 %
low: -41.176 %
median: -41.176 %
MARGINS
 Gross Margin 49.528 %
Gross Margin QoQ 4.556 %
Gross Margin YoY 3.104 %
Gross Margin IPRWA high: 50.045 %
RCL: 49.528 %
median: 36.107 %
mean: 32.399 %
low: -9.969 %
 EBIT Margin 28.167 %
EBIT Margin QoQ 7.759 %
EBIT Margin YoY 14.24 %
EBIT Margin IPRWA RCL: 28.167 %
high: 17.066 %
mean: 9.887 %
median: 9.262 %
low: 7.08 %
 Return On Sales (ROS) 26.101 %
Return On Sales QoQ 18.992 %
Return On Sales YoY 5.861 %
Return On Sales IPRWA RCL: 26.101 %
high: 16.337 %
mean: 10.177 %
median: 9.83 %
low: 7.637 %
CASH FLOW
 Free Cash Flow (FCF) 1.3 B
 Free Cash Flow Yield 1.768 %
Free Cash Flow Yield QoQ 1078.667 %
Free Cash Flow Yield YoY -14.091 %
Free Cash Flow Yield IPRWA high: 3.707 %
median: 1.78 %
RCL: 1.768 %
mean: 1.039 %
low: -6.74 %
 Free Cash Growth 1050.0 %
Free Cash Growth QoQ -1039.774 %
Free Cash Growth YoY 3282.95 %
Free Cash Growth IPRWA high: 5708.333 %
median: 5708.333 %
mean: 4060.362 %
RCL: 1050.0 %
low: -3012.994 %
 Free Cash To Net Income 1.418
 Cash Flow Margin 28.976 %
 Cash Flow To Earnings 1.371
VALUE & RETURNS
 Economic Value Added 0.04
 Return On Assets (ROA) 2.251 %
Return On Assets QoQ 22.005 %
Return On Assets YoY 14.906 %
Return On Assets IPRWA RCL: 2.251 %
high: 1.162 %
mean: 0.522 %
median: 0.5 %
low: 0.227 %
 Return On Capital Employed (ROCE) 4.055 %
 Return On Equity (ROE) 0.096
Return On Equity QoQ 27.689 %
Return On Equity YoY 4.591 %
Return On Equity IPRWA RCL: 0.096
high: 0.055
median: 0.02
mean: 0.019
low: -0.157
 DuPont ROE 9.483 %
 Return On Invested Capital (ROIC) 3.947 %
Return On Invested Capital QoQ 40.864 %
Return On Invested Capital YoY 82.478 %
Return On Invested Capital IPRWA RCL: 3.947 %
high: 2.545 %
mean: 1.455 %
median: 1.4 %
low: 0.725 %

Six-Week Outlook

Expect range-bound action with a downside bias over the next six weeks unless momentum indicators reverse. Technicals—negative MACD momentum, a positive but declining MRO, and DI+ peak-and-reverse—favor consolidation beneath near-term resistance in the low $300s. The company’s strong margins and positive free cash flow create a valuation floor, yet high debt-to-EBITDA and compressed liquidity leave the equity susceptible to downside corrections if broad travel demand softens or sentiment drifts. Volatility measures (42‑day beta ~2.14, 52‑week beta ~1.75) imply amplified price swings; traders should plan for tight ranges punctuated by occasional directional moves tied to macro or company-specific catalysts rather than a sustained trending breakout.

About Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) designs and delivers memorable cruise experiences across the globe. With its headquarters in Miami, Florida, the company operates a diverse fleet of 65 ships as of early 2024. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. manages several well-known brands, including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. Each brand offers a variety of itineraries, catering to a wide range of travel preferences and destinations. Since its founding in 1968, the company has grown to become a leader in the cruise industry, providing exceptional service and innovative amenities to its guests. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. continues to expand its offerings, ensuring passengers enjoy unique and enriching travel experiences.



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