CCL vs VIK vs RCL Stock Comparison

Carnival, Viking Holdings and Royal Caribbean Cruises Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CCL Carnival Corp Ltd.
$26.85 +20.6% 1M -8.7% 1Y
Market cap
$37.82B
P/E
12.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$27.59B
Div. yield
–
Cruise Lines Consumer Discretionary
3 wins
VIK Viking Holdings Ltd
$84.69 +5.5% 1M +40.2% 1Y
Market cap
$37.85B
P/E
28.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.97B
Div. yield
–
Cruise Lines Consumer Discretionary
5 wins
RCL Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd
$280.73 +15.6% 1M -11.3% 1Y
Market cap
$79.45B
P/E
18.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$18.68B
Div. yield
–
Cruise Lines Consumer Discretionary
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Viking Holdings leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Viking Holdings 5, Royal Caribbean Cruises 3, Carnival 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCCLVIKRCLLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $37.82B $37.85B $79.45B RCL
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 12.1x 28.1x 18.1x CCL
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.5x 26.9x 14.9x CCL
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.2% +20.0% +8.7% VIK
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 19.3% 23.5% RCL
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.5% 22.5% 15.6% VIK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 1.0x 3.1x VIK
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -8.7% +40.2% -11.3% VIK
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +4.4%/yr — +27.5%/yr RCL
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 49.4% 40.6% 47.6% VIK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 56/100 65/100 CCL

Percentile Scorecard

CCLVIKRCL

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCCLVIKRCL
Valuation 86 #5 of 29 25 #22 of 29 46 #16 of 29
Growth 76 #7 of 26 92 #3 of 26 64 #10 of 26
Profitability 76 #7 of 26 96 #2 of 26 92 #3 of 26
Financial Health 57 #14 of 31 60 #13 of 31 50 #16 of 31
Shareholder Returns 42 #12 of 20 5 #19 of 20 74 #6 of 20
Overall 67 56 65
  • CCL ranked among 32 companies in Travel and Lodging
  • VIK ranked among 32 companies in Travel and Lodging
  • RCL ranked among 32 companies in Travel and Lodging

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCCLVIKRCLSPY
1 month +20.6%+5.5%+15.6% -0.8%
3 months -1.1%-17.8%-8.4% +3.5%
6 months +0.3%+4.8%+8.4% +7.0%
Year to date -12.1%+18.6%+0.6% +12.2%
1 year -8.7%+40.2%-11.3% +13.0%
3 years +141.2%—+239.0% +86.3%
3 years, per year +34.1%—+50.3% +23.1%
5 years +24.1%—+236.2% +68.6%
5 years, per year +4.4%—+27.5% +11.0%
10 years -43.1%—+301.6% +258.0%
10 years, per year -5.5%—+14.9% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCCLVIKRCLSPY
Volatility, 1Y 49.4%40.6%47.6% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.9%37.7%42.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.141.761.71 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.180.99-0.24 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -74.3%-35.4%-67.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -21.0%-21.8%-19.3% -1.8%
52-week high $33.99$108.24$348.03 $779.14
52-week low $21.80$57.08$230.35 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCCLVIKRCL
P/E now vs peer median 11.7xmedian 18.8x 27.9xmedian 18.8x 17.1xmedian 18.8x
P/S now vs peer median 1.3xmedian 1.5x 5.5xmedian 1.5x 4.0xmedian 1.5x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 7.9xmedian 15.2x 20.4xmedian 15.2x 13.9xmedian 15.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median 11.4xmedian 16.1x 33.1xmedian 16.1x -180.5xmedian 16.1x
P/B now vs peer median 2.5xmedian 2.5x 23.1xmedian 2.5x 7.2xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 0.20median 0.38 —median 0.38 0.05median 0.38

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCCLVIKRCL
Revenue $27.59B $6.97B $18.68B
Gross profit – $3.01B $9.17B
Operating income $4.41B $1.62B $5.10B
Net income $3.14B $1.35B $4.43B
Free cash flow $3.18B $1.15B -$416.00M
EPS (diluted) $2.29 $3.02 $16.41
Cash & equivalents $1.22B $3.99B $875.00M
Total debt $23.91B $13.58B $22.84B
Shares (diluted) 1.37B 446.42M 268.00M
Enterprise value $31.01B $22.98B $76.81B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCCLVIKRCL
P/E 11.7x 27.9x 17.1x
P/FCF 11.4x 33.1x -180.5x
P/Operating cash flow 5.3x 14.5x 11.1x
P/S 1.3x 5.5x 4.0x
P/B 2.5x 23.1x 7.2x
P/Tangible book 2.8x 23.1x 7.2x
EV/EBITDA 7.9x 20.4x 13.9x
EV/EBIT 13.3x 24.8x 19.0x
EV/Revenue 2.1x 5.8x 5.2x
EV/FCF 18.5x 34.8x -233.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 8.6x 15.2x 14.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.20 – 0.05

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCCLVIKRCL
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.2% 20.0% 8.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 11.3% – 15.9%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 22.4% 9.4%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – – 26.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 2.4% 29.1% 12.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 116.1% – 55.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 18.5% 64.8% 22.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 57.8% – 342.6%
EPS growth (1Y) 21.7% 35.4% 25.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 58.4% – 338.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 21.6% 16.6% 18.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 28.1% – 28.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% 48.3% -111.6%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 98.3% – -30.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCCLVIKRCL
Gross margin – 43.2% 49.1%
EBITDA margin 26.9% 28.2% 37.4%
Operating margin 16.0% 23.3% 27.3%
Pretax margin 11.5% 19.7% 22.8%
Net margin 11.4% 19.3% 23.5%
FCF margin 11.5% 16.6% -2.2%
Operating cash flow margin 24.7% 37.8% 36.3%
Return on equity 23.1% 99.1% 43.2%
Return on assets 6.1% 10.0% 10.2%
Return on invested capital 11.5% 22.5% 15.6%
Return on capital employed 11.3% 21.9% 16.1%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.5x 0.4x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.2x 2.0x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.4% 1.3% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCCLVIKRCL
Debt / assets 46.9% 43.1% 51.2%
Debt / equity 1.7x 3.6x 2.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.1x 1.0x 3.1x
Debt / FCF 7.5x 5.2x -54.9x
Liabilities / assets 72.1% 88.0% 76.6%
Equity / assets 27.9% 12.0% 23.4%
Interest coverage 3.8x 8.2x 5.0x
Current ratio 0.3x 0.8x 0.2x
Quick ratio 0.2x 0.7x 0.1x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.7x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.39 – 2.09

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCCLVIKRCL
Dividend yield 1.7% – 2.0%
Net buyback yield 1.5% -0.1% 2.6%
Shareholder yield 3.2% -0.1% 4.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCCLVIKRCL
Forward P/E 12.5xFY2026 26.9xFY2026 14.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.15FY2026 $3.15FY2026 $18.80FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -4.4%FY2026 +20.7%FY2026 +20.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +15.8% +30.8% +10.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $29.26BFY2026 $6.89BFY2026 $18.60BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +9.9%FY2026 +6.0%FY2026 +3.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -4.7% +23.8% +8.3%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCCLVIKRCL
Held by institutions 69.1% 47.9% 88.5%
Institutions holding 1,030 607 1,224
Change in shares held, QoQ +9.5% +2.6% +6.3%
Institutions buying 993 404 606
Institutions selling 13 148 446
Buyers to sellers 76.38 2.73 1.36

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CCLVIKRCL
CCL 1.00 0.71 0.80
VIK 0.71 1.00 0.66
RCL 0.80 0.66 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CCL, VIK and RCL?

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) is the largest by market capitalisation: Carnival (CCL) $37.82B, Viking Holdings (VIK) $37.85B, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) $79.45B.

Which stock is cheaper, CCL, VIK and RCL?

Carnival (CCL) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Carnival (CCL) 12.1x, Viking Holdings (VIK) 28.1x, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) 18.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Carnival (CCL) is cheapest (Carnival (CCL) 12.5x, Viking Holdings (VIK) 26.9x, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) 14.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Viking Holdings (VIK) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Carnival (CCL) +5.2%, Viking Holdings (VIK) +20.0%, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) +8.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) has the highest net margin (Carnival (CCL) 11.4%, Viking Holdings (VIK) 19.3%, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) 23.5%). On return on invested capital, Viking Holdings (VIK) leads (Carnival (CCL) 11.5%, Viking Holdings (VIK) 22.5%, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) 15.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Viking Holdings (VIK) returned the most: Carnival (CCL) -8.7%, Viking Holdings (VIK) +40.2%, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) -11.3%. Over five years, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) compounded fastest (Carnival (CCL) +4.4%/yr, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) +27.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Viking Holdings (VIK) has been the steadiest (Carnival (CCL) 49.4%, Viking Holdings (VIK) 40.6%, Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) 47.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CCL, VIK and RCL?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Viking Holdings (VIK) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.