RCL vs. SBUX: Royal Caribbean Cruises vs. Starbucks Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) with Starbucks (SBUX) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

RCL

SBUX

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): 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 Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
1-Year Return	12.68%	12.13%

Risk

Drawdown

RCL

SBUX

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
1-Year Volatility	46.59%	28.52%
Beta	1.77	0.97
3-Month Avg. Volume	2.70M	7.82M

Company Profile

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX) both belong to the Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry, though RCL is classified under Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines while SBUX falls under Restaurants.

Company profile comparison for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Profile Item	RCL	SBUX
Name	Royal Caribbean Group	Starbucks Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Discretionary	Consumer Discretionary
GICS Industry Group	Consumer Services	Consumer Services
GICS Industry	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure	Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure
GICS Sub-Industry	Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines	Restaurants
Market Capitalization	78.95 billion USD	117.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	April 28, 1993	June 26, 1992
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 17.95 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Starbucks (SBUX) at 78.66 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SBUX’s trailing earnings.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

17.95

Max: 71.36
Q3: 40.24
Median: 22.08
RCL: 17.95
Q1: 17.04
Min: 3.87

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

78.66

SBUX: 78.66
Max: 71.36
Q3: 40.24
Median: 22.08
Q1: 17.04
Min: 3.87

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

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Starbucks (SBUX) at 3.05 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 4.29 sits in the pricier quartile — RCL costs more per dollar of sales.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

4.29

Max: 6.59
RCL: 4.29
Q3: 3.16
Median: 1.68
Q1: 0.87
Min: 0.06

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

3.05

Max: 6.59
Q3: 3.16
SBUX: 3.05
Median: 1.68
Q1: 0.87
Min: 0.06

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

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Starbucks (SBUX) reports a negative P/B ratio of -13.87, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) reports 8.05, ranking against industry peers normally.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

8.05

Max: 13.42
RCL: 8.05
Q3: 6.34
Median: 2.54
Q1: 1.07
Min: -5.84

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

-13.87

Max: 13.42
Q3: 6.34
Median: 2.54
Q1: 1.07
Min: -5.84
SBUX: -13.87

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

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	17.95	78.66
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	4.29	3.05
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	8.05	-13.87
Free Cash Flow Yield	-0.25%	-1.11%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) earns 49.58% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Starbucks (SBUX) has no ROE this period.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

49.58%

Max: 52.89%
RCL: 49.58%
Q3: 29.07%
Median: 12.44%
Q1: 3.56%
Min: -26.11%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 52.89%
Q3: 29.07%
Median: 12.44%
Q1: 3.56%
Min: -26.11%
SBUX: --

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): SBUX does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; RCL is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 24.36% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Starbucks (SBUX) at 3.89%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

24.36%

Max: 24.47%
RCL: 24.36%
Q3: 12.35%
Median: 6.13%
Q1: 1.16%
Min: -15.48%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

3.89%

Max: 24.47%
Q3: 12.35%
Median: 6.13%
SBUX: 3.89%
Q1: 1.16%
Min: -15.48%

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

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 26.17% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Starbucks (SBUX) at 8.42%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

26.17%

Max: 44.25%
RCL: 26.17%
Q3: 20.10%
Median: 11.37%
Q1: 3.21%
Min: -20.31%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

8.42%

Max: 44.25%
Q3: 20.10%
Median: 11.37%
SBUX: 8.42%
Q1: 3.21%
Min: -20.31%

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

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
Return on Equity (TTM)	49.58%	--
Return on Assets (TTM)	8.08%	7.38%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	24.36%	3.89%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	26.17%	8.42%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	50.91%	21.90%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
1-Year Revenue Growth	8.79%	2.79%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	26.59%	4.86%

EPS Growth

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

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
1-Year EPS Growth	41.91%	-50.76%
3-Year EPS CAGR	--	-16.80%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Starbucks (SBUX) at 0.92 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 0.20 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for RCL.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

0.20

Max: 3.05
Q3: 1.72
Median: 0.99
Q1: 0.69
RCL: 0.20
Min: 0.20

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

0.92

Max: 3.05
Q3: 1.72
Median: 0.99
SBUX: 0.92
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.20

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

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Only one side’s leverage can be read here: Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17 against its industry range, while Starbucks (SBUX) reports no figure this period.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

2.17

Max: 7.23
Q3: 3.20
RCL: 2.17
Median: 1.27
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.01

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

Max: 7.23
Q3: 3.20
Median: 1.27
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.01
SBUX: --

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) vs. Starbucks (SBUX): SBUX does not report debt-to-equity ratio, so it has no value marker; RCL is benchmarked against the Consumer Services industry group.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.20	0.92
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	2.17	--
Net Debt / EBITDA	3.08	4.21

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Starbucks (SBUX) at 2.41% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) at 1.70% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SBUX the richer one.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

1.70%

Max: 4.72%
Q3: 1.94%
RCL: 1.70%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

2.41%

Max: 4.72%
SBUX: 2.41%
Q3: 1.94%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Starbucks (SBUX) reports payout ratio above 100% at 187.79%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) reports 25.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.

RCL

Consumer Services industry group

25.93%

Max: 86.96%
Q3: 34.83%
RCL: 25.93%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SBUX

Consumer Services industry group

187.79%

SBUX: 187.79%
Max: 86.96%
Q3: 34.83%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) and Starbucks (SBUX)
Metric	RCL	SBUX
Dividend Yield (TTM)	1.70%	2.41%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	25.93%	187.79%