RC

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. stock research

Mar 31, 2024

FY2024 Q1

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Mar 31, 2024

Revenue and gross profit both increased compared to the prior quarter and the same quarter last year, while cost of revenue also rose. Gross margin improved sequentially and year-over-year, reflecting a larger share of revenue flowing to gross profit.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Mar 31, 2024 · FY2024 Q1

Revenue and gross profit both increased compared to the prior quarter and the same quarter last year, while cost of revenue also rose. Gross margin improved sequentially and year-over-year, reflecting a larger share of revenue flowing to gross profit.

  • The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between revenue growth and cost of revenue growth; revenue increased more than cost of revenue compared to both the prior quarter and the year-ago quarter, leading to margin expansion.
  • Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue, gross profit, and gross margin were all higher, while cost of revenue was also higher. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, all three metrics—revenue, gross profit, and gross margin—were higher, with cost of revenue higher as well.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

44.8%

Gross profit

$1.7B

Revenue

$3.7B

Cost of revenue

$2.1B

Quarter-over-quarter change

+1.6 pts

Year-over-year change

+7.0 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Jun 30, 2023$3.5B$1.6B$2.0B44.5%
Sep 30, 2023$4.2B$2.0B$2.1B48.6%
Dec 31, 2023$3.3B$1.4B$1.9B43.3%
Mar 31, 2024$3.7B$1.7B$2.1B44.8%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Dec 31, 2023

+1.6 pts

Year-over-year change

Mar 31, 2023

+7.0 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between revenue growth and cost of revenue growth; revenue increased more than cost of revenue compared to both the prior quarter and the year-ago quarter, leading to margin expansion.

Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue, gross profit, and gross margin were all higher, while cost of revenue was also higher. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, all three metrics—revenue, gross profit, and gross margin—were higher, with cost of revenue higher as well.

Monitor the trend in cost of revenue relative to revenue, as its growth rate will determine whether gross margin can sustain its improvement.