PSO vs. RCL: Pearson vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) both fall under the Consumer Services industry group, but PSO is classified in Diversified Consumer Services while RCL is classified in Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) trades as ordinary local shares, while Pearson (PSO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Profile Item	PSO	RCL
Name	Pearson plc Sponsored ADR	Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Diversified Consumer Services	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-Industry	Education Services	Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines
Market Capitalization	10.38 billion USD	87.51 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 18, 1996	April 28, 1993
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PSO

RCL

GSPC

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
Total Return (1Y)	34.42%	35.04%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.38%	55.86%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.99%	30.86%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PSO

RCL

GSPC

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) has an aggressive beta of 1.82, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Pearson (PSO) is defensive at 0.43 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	25.07%	47.73%
Beta (5Y)	0.43	1.82
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-30.73%	-65.76%
Avg. Volume (3M)	698.84K	2.35M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

PSO and RCL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.20	0.64
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	1.67	1.10

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 41.29% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Pearson (PSO) at 9.16% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for RCL.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

9.16%

Max: 76.75%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
PSO: 9.16%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

41.29%

Max: 76.75%
RCL: 41.29%
Q3: 34.07%
Median: 15.90%
Q1: 3.23%
Min: -40.61%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their ROE against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 23.79% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Pearson (PSO) at 8.78%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

8.78%

Max: 25.52%
Q3: 12.95%
PSO: 8.78%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

23.79%

Max: 25.52%
RCL: 23.79%
Q3: 12.95%
Median: 6.63%
Q1: 1.46%
Min: -14.36%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their net margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 33.61% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Pearson (PSO) at 13.32%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

13.32%

Max: 49.05%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
PSO: 13.32%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

33.61%

Max: 49.05%
RCL: 33.61%
Q3: 24.35%
Median: 14.23%
Q1: 5.67%
Min: -16.47%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
ROE (TTM)	9.16%	41.29%
ROA (TTM)	5.09%	7.78%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.78%	23.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	13.32%	33.61%
Gross Margin (TTM)	52.04%	50.25%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 8.79% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Pearson (PSO) at 0.70% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Pearson (PSO) at -20.16% and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 41.91% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
Revenue Growth (YoY)	0.70%	8.79%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.35%	26.59%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-20.16%	41.91%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.86%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.00 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 0.22 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.00

Max: 3.41
PSO: 2.00
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
Min: 0.22

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

0.22

Max: 3.41
Q3: 1.85
Median: 1.06
Q1: 0.72
RCL: 0.22
Min: 0.22

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 0.52 and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 1.94 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

0.52

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
Median: 1.29
PSO: 0.52
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.94

Max: 6.12
Q3: 2.93
RCL: 1.94
Median: 1.29
Q1: 0.37
Min: 0.01

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.00	0.22
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.52	1.94
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.35	3.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 1.46% and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 1.70% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

1.46%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
PSO: 1.46%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.70%

Max: 4.10%
Q3: 1.82%
RCL: 1.70%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 32.54% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Pearson (PSO) at 51.09% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

51.09%

Max: 89.80%
PSO: 51.09%
Q3: 36.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

32.54%

Max: 89.80%
Q3: 36.83%
RCL: 32.54%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.46%	1.70%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	51.09%	32.54%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Pearson (PSO) at 25.78 and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 19.36 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

25.78

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
PSO: 25.78
Median: 21.88
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

19.36

Max: 71.70
Q3: 37.12
Median: 21.88
RCL: 19.36
Q1: 13.00
Min: 5.72

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.86 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 4.57 sits in the pricier quartile — RCL costs more per dollar of sales.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.86

Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.01
PSO: 2.86
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

4.57

Max: 6.40
RCL: 4.57
Q3: 3.01
Median: 1.54
Q1: 0.74
Min: 0.08

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Pearson (PSO) at 2.38 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 7.47 carries an above-peer premium to book — RCL is pricier on assets.

PSO

Consumer Services industry group

2.38

Max: 12.02
Q3: 5.58
PSO: 2.38
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

7.47

Max: 12.02
RCL: 7.47
Q3: 5.58
Median: 2.37
Q1: 1.09
Min: -4.51

Pearson (PSO) vs. Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Consumer Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Pearson (PSO) and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)
Metric	PSO	RCL
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.78	19.36
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.86	4.57
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.38	7.47
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.08%	-0.06%