RCL ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD

NYSE Water Transportation CIK: 0000884887
AI RATING
HOLD
62% Confidence

Investment Thesis

Royal Caribbean demonstrates strong operational profitability with 26% operating margins and robust free cash flow generation at 30% of revenue. However, precarious liquidity metrics (0.20x current ratio), elevated leverage (2.0x debt/equity), and declining net income despite revenue growth present material financial risks that offset operational strengths.

Strengths

  • + Exceptional operating margins at 26.1% and net margins at 21.1% demonstrate pricing power and operational efficiency
  • + Strong free cash flow generation of $1.3B (30% FCF margin) provides cash for debt service and capital needs
  • + Consistent revenue growth of 8.8% YoY shows demand resilience in core cruise market

Risks

  • ! Critical liquidity crisis with current ratio of 0.20x and quick ratio of 0.17x creates vulnerability to operational disruptions
  • ! High absolute debt load of $19.7B with 2.0x debt/equity ratio and modest 2.7x interest coverage limits financial flexibility
  • ! Net income declining 0.5% despite 8.8% revenue growth indicates margin compression and cost inflation outpacing pricing power

Key Metrics to Watch

Financial Metrics

Revenue
4.5B
Net Income
941.0M
EPS (Diluted)
$3.48
Free Cash Flow
1.3B
Total Assets
42.0B
Cash
512.0M

Profitability Ratios

Gross Margin N/A
Operating Margin 26.1%
Net Margin 21.1%
ROE 9.6%
ROA 2.2%
FCF Margin 30.0%

Balance Sheet & Liquidity

Current Ratio
0.20x
Quick Ratio
0.17x
Debt/Equity
2.00x
Debt/Assets
76.1%
Interest Coverage
2.74x
Long-term Debt
19.7B
Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI based on publicly available SEC EDGAR filings. It does not include stock price data and should not be considered financial advice. All fundamental data is sourced from SEC public domain filings. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.
Data Source: SEC EDGAR | Analysis Date: 2026-05-06T18:41:32.585194 | Data as of: 2026-03-31 | Powered by Claude AI