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If You Invested $1000 in Royal Caribbean a Decade Ago, This is How Much It'd Be Worth Now

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For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. Not only can it impact your investment portfolio, but it can also help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.

Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.

What if you'd invested in Royal Caribbean (RCL - Free Report) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to RCL for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?

Royal Caribbean's Business In-Depth

With that in mind, let's take a look at Royal Caribbean's main business drivers.

Based in Miami and incorporated in 1985, Royal Caribbean Cruises is a cruise company. It owns and operates three global brands — Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. Additionally, it has a 50% investment in a joint venture with TUI AG, which operates the brand TUI Cruises.

The company’s cruise brands primarily serve the contemporary, premium and deluxe segments of the cruise vacation industry, which also includes the budget and luxury segments. These brands operate 64 ships. The ships operate on a selection of diverse itineraries worldwide that include roughly 1,000 destinations on all seven continents. As of March 31, 2025, the company had $6.33 billion in customer deposits compared with $5.5 billion in the prior-year period.

The company reports revenues under the following segments — Passenger ticket revenues (69.8% of total revenues in 2024) and Onboard and other revenues (30.2%).

In the third quarter of 2022, the company unveiled a three-year financial performance initiative — the Trifecta Program — thereby articulating longer-term financial objectives. The program emphasizes financial coordinates, including Adjusted EBITDA per APCD, Adjusted EPS and ROIC. During the second-quarter of 2024, the company achieved its Trifecta financial goals 18 months ahead of schedule.

In the first quarter of 2025, the company reiterated its commitment to its “Perfecta Performance Program,” targeting a 20% CAGR in adjusted EPS through 2027 and return on invested capital in the high teens. Royal Caribbean's formula of moderate capacity growth, disciplined cost control and sustained yield improvements is likely to support the same.

Bottom Line

Putting together a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of research, patience, and a little bit of risk. For Royal Caribbean, if you bought shares a decade ago, you're likely feeling really good about your investment today.

According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in June 2015 would be worth $3,406.52, or a 240.65% gain, as of June 18, 2025. Investors should keep in mind that this return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation.

In comparison, the S&P 500 gained 184.83% and the price of gold went up 170.50% over the same time frame.

Going forward, analysts are expecting more upside for RCL.

Shares of Royal Caribbean have outperformed the industry in the past year. The company is benefiting from strong cruising demand from new and loyal guests and robust booking trends. Also, strength in consumer spending onboard and pre-cruise purchases bodes well. The company emphasized investing in a modern digital travel platform to streamline the vacation booking process for its customers and expand wallet share. RCL expresses optimism regarding the prospects of private destinations and anticipates it as a key driver of growth in the upcoming periods. Earnings estimates for 2025 have increased in the past 30 days, depicting analysts' optimism regarding the stock’s growth potential. However, increased fuel costs, foreign currency risks and global macro headwinds are concerning for the company’s prospects. 

The stock is up 5.28% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 9 higher, for fiscal 2025. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.

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