MGM Resorts International vs Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd — how do they compare? MGM Resorts International trades at $45.97 (market cap $11.86B), while Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd trades at $287.46 (market cap $76.75B). The key difference: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd is far larger — about 6.5× MGM Resorts International's market cap, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd pays the higher dividend (1.75%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MGM | RCL | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $11.86B | $76.75B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $50.69 | $365.84 |
52-Week Low | $30.72 | $246.71 |
Enterprise Value | $40.90B | $98.03B |
Dividend Yield | 0.03% | 1.75% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
MGM Resorts International (MGM) trades at $46.55, up 0.91% today, amid ongoing acquisition talks with Barry Diller's People Inc. at $48.30 per share. The stock shows mixed technical signals with a bullish moving average trend but neutral oscillators. Fundamentally, revenue grew to $17.54B in 2025, though net income margin compressed to 1.03%. Analyst consensus is evenly split between Buy and Hold, with a $48.93 price target suggesting modest upside from current levels.
MGM's outlook is clouded by acquisition uncertainty and declining profitability, offset by potential takeover premium and stable revenue. Key risks include execution on margin improvement, high debt levels, and macroeconomic sensitivity. The stock presents a speculative opportunity tied to deal completion, with fundamental challenges requiring careful monitoring.
Royal Caribbean (RCL) trades at $285.59, down 0.48% on the day, with technical indicators showing a neutral to bullish bias as the stock tests support near $285. Fundamentally, the company demonstrates strong profitability with 24.36% net margins and 50.41% ROE, supported by robust revenue growth from $8.8B in 2022 to $17.93B in 2025. Recent earnings have mostly beaten expectations, with Q1 2026 EPS of $3.60 surpassing estimates of $3.24.
The investment outlook remains positive given analyst consensus price target of $328 (15% upside), strong cash flow generation, and continued recovery in cruise demand. Key risks include high debt levels ($18.47B long-term debt), sensitivity to economic cycles, and competitive pressures in the cruise industry. The upcoming Q2 2026 earnings report on July 28 will be critical for near-term direction.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
MGM Resorts is the largest resort operator on the Las Vegas Strip with 35,000 guest rooms and suites, representing about one fourth of all units in the market. The company's Vegas properties include MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Cosmopolitan, Luxor, New York-New York, and CityCenter. The Strip contributed approximately 49% of total EBITDAR in the prepandemic year of 2019. MGM also owns U.S. regional assets, which represented 29% of 2019 EBITDAR. we estimate MGM's U.S. sports and iGaming operations are currently a mid-single-digit percentage of its total revenue. The company also operates the 56%-owned MGM Macau casinos with a new property that opened on the Cotai Strip in early 2018. Further, we estimate MGM will open a resort in Japan in 2027.
Read more on MGM →Royal Caribbean is the world's second-largest cruise company, operating 64 ships across five global and partner brands in the cruise vacation industry, with 10 more ships on order. Brands the company operates include Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea. The company also has a 50% investment in a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, allowing it to compete on the basis of innovation, quality of ships and service, variety of itineraries, choice of destinations, and price. The company completed the divestiture of its Azamara brand in the first quarter of 2021.
Read more on RCL →