Russell Investments Group Ltd. Purchases 93,565 Shares of Carnival Corporation $CCL

Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,774,765 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 93,565 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.15% of Carnival worth $51,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Carnival by 5.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Carnival in the first quarter worth about $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Carnival by 61.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Carnival by 41.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in Carnival by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 103,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,908,000 after purchasing an additional 3,009 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CCL. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price target on shares of Carnival from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.09.

Carnival Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of CCL opened at $26.16 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 2.42. Carnival Corporation has a 1 year low of $15.07 and a 1 year high of $34.03. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.44.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. Carnival’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $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, equities analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Carnival’s payout ratio is 30.00%.

Carnival News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s recent results and guidance still provide a near-term fundamental buffer — the company beat Q4 EPS and has FY2026 EPS guidance, supporting the bull case that the business is profitable and cash-generative even as the stock falls.
• Positive Sentiment: Product/marketing lift — Princess Cruises (part of Carnival’s portfolio) announced a 2028 115‑day World Cruise, which shows continued willingness to expand itineraries and upsell premium itineraries that can support revenue per passenger. Princess Cruises Announces 2028 World Cruise
• Neutral Sentiment: Index/ownership context — Carnival’s presence in broad funds (S&P 500 exposure) means passive flows will matter; that can both cushion and amplify moves depending on ETF flows. Carnival Corporation Hospitality Travel Presence In S&P 500 Fund
• Neutral Sentiment: Some investors view the share weakness as a buying opportunity amid broader market selling; media pieces highlighting “buy” ideas may attract value-focused buying but won’t offset immediate macro-driven selling. Market Crash: 3 Stocks I’d Buy Without Hesitation
• Negative Sentiment: Unhedged fuel exposure — Carnival does not hedge fuel needs at scale, so the recent oil spike directly raises fuel expense risk and compresses margins relative to peers that hedge. This is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Carnival (CCL) Is Down 9.4% After Oil Shock Exposes Unhedged Fuel Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical demand risk and sector contagion — reporting notes that cruising and travel sentiment softened after renewed Middle East tensions, which can reduce bookings or pricing power and hit sector multiples. ‘Cruising used to feel special.’ Cruise lines were struggling even before the Iran conflict hurt stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term volatility and heavy selling — multiple market reports show the stock being hammered on higher volume as investors price in fuel and margin risk; Carnival’s leverage and low current ratio increase sensitivity to profit shocks. Why Carnival Corporation & plc’s (CCL) Stock Is Down 7.52%

About Carnival

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.