Does Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) Pay a Dividend? (2026)

Last updated July 2026

Short answer

Yes. Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) pays a dividend yielding about 1.57% as of August 2026, paid quarterly, four times a year. The latest payment on record was $1.50 per share, ex-dividend June 3, 2026. The forward annual rate is roughly $5.00 per share, about $157 a year on a $10,000 position before tax. The payout takes about 31% of earnings. Figures are approximate and dated; verify the current number with your broker.

Does Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) pay a dividend?

Yes. Royal Caribbean Group distributes a dividend yielding roughly 1.57% as of August 2026, paid quarterly, four times a year. The most recent payment on record was $1.50 per share, with an ex-dividend date of June 3, 2026. Annualized, that is about $5.00 per share.

RCL trades at a mid-teens forward earnings multiple after a large multi-year recovery from its pandemic lows. Q1 2026 revenue rose about 11% year over year to roughly $4.45 billion with adjusted EBITDA near $1.7 billion, and management guides full-year revenue growth of around 10%. The valuation embeds continued record demand and yield growth, leaving limited room for error if bookings soften.

RCL dividend at a glance

Dividend yield
1.57%
Annual rate / share
$5.00
Payout ratio
30.88%
Ex-dividend date
2026-06-03
Recent payments per share
2026-06-03$1.5
2026-03-06$1.5
2025-12-26$1.00
2025-09-25$1.00
2025-06-04$0.75
2025-03-07$0.75

RCL dividend data as of August 2026, sourced from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. Yield moves with price and payout; confirm the current dividend and ex-date with RCL's investor relations page before relying on it.

Is the RCL dividend covered?

Royal Caribbean Group paid out about 31% of its earnings as dividends, so the payout is very well covered. A low ratio means the dividend has plenty of room and the company is keeping most of its profit to reinvest or buy back stock, which is also why the yield is modest.

Coverage is the question worth asking before yield. A dividend is only as good as the earnings behind it, and the highest yields on any screen are often the ones closest to being cut. Walnut is informational and is not an investment adviser.

How the RCL dividend has changed

The latest payment of $1.50 per share compares with $0.75 in the equivalent payment a year earlier (June 4, 2025). We are not quoting a growth rate from those two figures, because a change that large usually means a share split or a gap in the stored history rather than a real raise.

A single year says little on its own. What dividend-growth investors track is the multi-year record: whether the payout has risen through a downturn, and whether the raises have kept pace with inflation. That record is on RCL's investor relations page.

What RCL's dividend means for you

  • Income: about $157 a year per $10,000 invested, before tax.
  • Yield is a ratio, not a payment: it rises when the share price falls. A jump in yield without a raise in the dividend means the stock got cheaper, which may or may not be good news.
  • Total return: for RCL the dividend is one part of return and price change is usually the larger part. Compare total return, not yield, when weighing it against another holding.
  • Reinvest or take the cash: a DRIP compounds the position automatically; taking the cash gives you income now. Either way it is taxable in a taxable account.
  • If you want more yield: dedicated dividend names and funds target higher, steadier payouts. See the best dividend stocks and best dividend ETFs.

How RCL dividends are taxed

Dividends from US common stock are usually qualified, which means they are taxed at long-term capital-gains rates rather than as ordinary income, as long as you held the shares for more than 60 days in the 121-day window around the ex-dividend date. Distributions from REITs and BDCs generally do not qualify and are taxed as ordinary income. Inside an IRA, Roth, or 401(k) none of this applies while the money stays in the account. Full detail is in how dividends are taxed. This is not tax advice.

The bottom line on the RCL dividend

Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) pays about 1.57%, or roughly $5.00 per share a year. At that level the dividend is a modest supplement rather than the reason to own it: the case rests on total return. For the full picture see the RCL guide. Walnut can show how RCL fits your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.

Investing in Royal Caribbean Group with AI

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FAQ

Does Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) pay a dividend?

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Yes. Royal Caribbean Group pays a dividend yielding roughly 1.57% as of August 2026, paid quarterly, four times a year. The most recent payment on record was $1.50 per share with an ex-dividend date of June 3, 2026. That works out to a forward annual rate of about $5.00 per share. Yields move with the share price, so verify the current figure with your broker or RCL's investor relations page before relying on it.

What is RCL's dividend yield?

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About 1.57% as of August 2026. On a $10,000 position that is roughly $157 of dividend income a year before tax. For context, the S&P 500 yields around 1.2%, so RCL yields meaningfully more than the broad market. A higher yield is not automatically better: it can reflect a falling share price as easily as a generous payout, so it is worth checking why the number is what it is.

How often does RCL pay its dividend?

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Royal Caribbean Group pays quarterly, four times a year. The most recent payment on record had an ex-dividend date of June 3, 2026. To receive a given payment you have to own the shares before the ex-dividend date, not on the pay date. Confirm upcoming dates on RCL's investor relations page, because boards can change both the amount and the timing.

When is RCL's ex-dividend date?

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The ex-dividend date recorded in our August 2026 data pull is June 3, 2026. The ex-dividend date is the cutoff: buy on or after it and the seller keeps that payment, not you. Buying just before the ex-date to capture the dividend does not create free money, because the share price typically drops by roughly the dividend amount when the stock goes ex. Check RCL's investor relations page for the next confirmed date.

How much is RCL's dividend per share?

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$1.50 per share in the most recent payment (ex-date June 3, 2026), which annualizes to about $5.00 per share. The equivalent payment a year earlier was $0.75. We are not quoting a growth rate off those two figures because the change is large enough that a share split or a gap in the stored history is the more likely explanation.

Has Royal Caribbean Group raised its dividend recently?

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Yes. The latest payment of $1.50 per share is above the $0.75 paid in the same slot a year earlier. One raise is not a policy, though: check the multi-year record on RCL's investor relations page, since a long streak of increases is what dividend-growth investors actually look for.

Is RCL's dividend safe?

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Royal Caribbean Group paid out about 31% of its earnings as dividends, so the payout is very well covered. A low ratio means the dividend has plenty of room and the company is keeping most of its profit to reinvest or buy back stock, which is also why the yield is modest. Nobody can guarantee a dividend: boards cut them, and a high yield is sometimes the market pricing in exactly that. Walnut is not an investment adviser and this is not a recommendation.

How much would I earn in dividends from a $10,000 position in RCL?

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At a yield of about 1.57%, roughly $157 a year before tax, spread across 4 payments. That is a snapshot, not a promise: the amount changes when the company changes its payout, and your yield on cost is fixed at the price you paid, not at today's price.

Are RCL dividends qualified for tax purposes?

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Dividends from US common stock are usually qualified, meaning they are taxed at the lower long-term capital-gains rates, provided you held the shares for more than 60 days in the 121-day window around the ex-dividend date. Distributions from REITs, BDCs, and some pass-through structures are generally taxed as ordinary income instead. In an IRA or Roth the question does not arise. See our guide to how dividends are taxed. This is not tax advice.

Should I reinvest RCL dividends?

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Most brokers offer automatic reinvestment (a DRIP) that puts each RCL payment straight back into more shares, often fractional ones. Reinvesting compounds the position and is the standard choice when you do not need the cash yet. Taking the cash makes sense when you are spending the income or want to direct it elsewhere. Either way the dividend is taxable in a taxable account in the year it is paid, even if you never see the money.

Does Royal Caribbean pay a dividend?

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Yes, the company reinstated its dividend as profitability recovered and paid roughly $270 million in dividends in Q1 2026 alongside share repurchases. The yield is modest, so the stock is generally viewed more as a growth and recovery play than an income holding.

Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Dividend figures on this page come from a August 2026 data pull and are approximate; verify the current yield, amount, schedule, and policy with RCL's investor relations page or your broker before acting on them.

Guides that feature RCL

RCL is one of the names covered in these guides. Each one puts the stock next to its peers so you can see where it fits rather than judging it alone.

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