Carnival Corporation $CCL Stock: VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Trims Holdings

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al lessened its holdings in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 52.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 180,700 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200,400 shares during the quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s holdings in Carnival were worth $4,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 15,904,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $411,372,000 after buying an additional 834,885 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 67.3% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 6,770,304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $193,428,000 after buying an additional 2,723,171 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 5.2% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,608,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,152,000 after buying an additional 278,758 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Carnival by 11.4% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,687,038 shares of the company’s stock worth $133,909,000 after acquiring an additional 480,097 shares during the period. Finally, Hound Partners LLC grew its holdings in Carnival by 27.9% during the first quarter. Hound Partners LLC now owns 4,514,839 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,844,000 after acquiring an additional 985,772 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.75, for a total transaction of $693,750.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 63,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,762,263.75. This represents a 28.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

More Carnival News

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reinforces shareholder-return story: Carnival’s board declared a quarterly dividend of $0.15 per share. The announcement has renewed investor interest, particularly because shares have rallied 26.7% over the past month while still showing a year-to-date decline, suggesting potential recovery room. Carnival Could Be 25% Undervalued Following Its Fresh Dividend Declaration
• Positive Sentiment: Positive read-through from cruise peers: Norwegian Cruise Line’s stronger-than-expected results and improved full-year outlook lifted the broader cruise group, while Royal Caribbean also advanced. The results suggest resilient travel demand and improving operating trends across the industry, benefiting Carnival by association. Norwegian Surges as Earnings Beat Lifts Full-Year Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Fleet investment supports guest experience: Princess Cruises, Carnival’s brand, completed a two-week drydock renovation of Royal Princess, adding a Sanctuary Collection and upgrading dining, entertainment, casino and retail areas. These enhancements could support pricing, customer satisfaction and onboard revenue over time. Royal Princess Emerges from Drydock with New Sanctuary Collection
• Neutral Sentiment: Fuel management remains a key swing factor: Carnival’s strategy emphasizes reducing fuel consumption, while competitors rely more heavily on hedging. Lower consumption could protect margins if fuel prices remain elevated, but the issue remains an important source of operating-cost uncertainty. Cruise Companies Aim to Keep Fuel Costs Down
• Negative Sentiment: Director’s stock sale adds a cautionary signal: Director Helen Deeble sold 25,000 Carnival shares for approximately $693,750, reducing her direct ownership by 28.25%. While the transaction does not change Carnival’s fundamentals, insider selling can weigh on sentiment, particularly after the recent share-price rebound. Carnival Director Form 4 Filing

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CCL. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $28.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $36.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a report on Wednesday, September 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.14.

Carnival Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $28.83 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $24.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.12. The company has a market capitalization of $38.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 2.48. Carnival Corporation has a 12-month low of $21.45 and a 12-month high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.27 and a quick ratio of 0.23.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, September 29th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08. Carnival had a return on equity of 24.83% and a net margin of 11.37%. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.240-2.240 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 2.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. Carnival’s payout ratio is currently 26.20%.

Carnival Profile

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL) is one of the world’s largest leisure travel and cruise companies. It operates cruise lines that provide vacation travel, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodations, recreational activities and shore excursions. The company’s brands serve a broad range of travelers, from mainstream and contemporary vacationers to premium and luxury guests.

Carnival’s portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises UK and P&O Cruises Australia.