Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) shares rose Thursday after the cruise operator lifted its quarterly dividend following stronger-than-expected earnings and an upbeat full-year outlook recently.
On Wednesday, the company said its board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per common share, an increase of 33% from the previous dividend of 75 cents. The new dividend is payable on Oct. 13, 2025, to shareholders of record as of Sept. 25, 2025.
Jason Liberty, President and CEO, commented, “The dividend increase reflects both the strength of our performance and our commitment to return capital to shareholders.
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He added, “This increase in dividend, along with our ongoing share repurchase program, highlights our balanced approach to capital allocation, returning value to shareholders while funding future growth.”
In July, Royal Caribbean reported second-quarter earnings of $4.38 per share, beating the analyst consensus of $4.05 by more than 8%. Results were also 36% higher than the $3.21 per share earned in the same quarter last year. Revenue increased 10% year-over-year to $4.54 billion, slightly ahead of Wall Street’s $4.54 billion estimate.
The company also raised its full-year adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $15.41 to $15.55 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $14.55 to $15.55. The revised outlook is above the average analyst estimate of $15.39 and points to roughly 31% earnings growth over 2024.
The cruise operator tempered expectations for the third quarter, however, forecasting adjusted EPS between $5.55 and $5.65. That is below the consensus estimate of $5.97. Management cited timing of operating costs and a temporary drag from the introduction of Star of the Seas.
Price Action: RCL stock is trading higher by 3.59% to $353.76 at last check Thursday.
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