Carnival Corporation $CCL Stock Position Cut by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund decreased its stake in shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 13.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 480,034 shares of the company’s stock after selling 72,393 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Carnival were worth $12,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Carnival Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of CCL opened at $26.84 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $27.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 2.32. Carnival Corporation has a 1-year low of $23.45 and a 1-year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The company had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.35 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. Analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is 27.03%.

Insider Activity at Carnival

In related news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,945,587.80. This trade represents a 38.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. HSBC raised Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research note on Monday, March 30th. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Carnival in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Melius Research set a $36.00 target price on Carnival in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Argus set a $35.00 target price on Carnival in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Carnival from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.99.

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.