Carnival Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:CCL)

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock investors bought 77,558 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 47% compared to the average volume of 52,862 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their price target on Carnival from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Barclays cut their price objective on Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Friday, December 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.00.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CCL traded down $1.18 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $32.81. The company had a trading volume of 18,315,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 20,412,881. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $29.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Carnival has a 12 month low of $15.07 and a 12 month high of $34.03. The firm has a market cap of $38.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 2.49.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.14 earnings per share. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Carnival’s payout ratio is 30.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Carnival

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integrity Alliance LLC. bought a new position in shares of Carnival during the 4th quarter worth approximately $284,000. Bleakley Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 37.6% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 26,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 7,112 shares during the last quarter. Allstate Corp raised its position in shares of Carnival by 96.5% in the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 74,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,268,000 after purchasing an additional 36,476 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Carnival by 218.1% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $99,000 after acquiring an additional 2,227 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Carnival by 134.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 19,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $581,000 after acquiring an additional 10,919 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Company 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.