Retirement Systems of Alabama Increases Stock Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Retirement Systems of Alabama boosted its position in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 10.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 270,253 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 26,012 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Carnival were worth $7,721,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 128,133,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,913,190,000 after purchasing an additional 368,445 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,074,173 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,468,185,000 after purchasing an additional 704,433 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Carnival by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $896,104,000 after purchasing an additional 683,311 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC raised its position in Carnival by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 26,729,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $816,320,000 after purchasing an additional 364,529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co raised its position in Carnival by 2,954.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 19,851,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,625,000 after purchasing an additional 19,201,000 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Carnival

In other news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total value of $1,209,929.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,945,587.80. This represents a 38.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:CCL opened at $28.40 on Friday. Carnival Corporation has a 52-week low of $23.45 and a 52-week high of $34.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 2.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $27.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.33.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.11% and a net margin of 11.24%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.35 EPS. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s payout ratio is 27.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CCL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on Carnival from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Carnival from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Argus set a $35.00 price target on Carnival in a research note on Friday, June 26th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.08.

Carnival Profile

Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) is a global cruise operator that provides leisure travel services through a portfolio of passenger cruise brands. The company’s core business is operating cruise ships that offer multi-night voyages and associated vacation services, including onboard accommodations, dining, entertainment, spa and wellness offerings, casinos, youth programs, and organized shore excursions. Carnival markets cruise vacations to a broad range of consumers, from value-focused travelers to premium and luxury segments, through differentiated brand positioning and onboard experiences.

Its operating structure comprises multiple well-known cruise brands that target distinct geographic and demographic markets.