Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twenty-one have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $35.0818.

Several research firms have issued reports on CCL. Argus set a $35.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Carnival from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Carnival from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Melius Research set a $36.00 target price on Carnival in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Finally, Freedom Capital upgraded Carnival to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd.

Carnival Stock Up 0.2%

CCL opened at $24.80 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.36 and a 200-day moving average of $27.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 2.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. Carnival has a 1-year low of $23.45 and a 1-year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.69 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. Carnival’s revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Carnival will post 2.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.03%.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival during the 1st quarter valued at about $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in Carnival by 61.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 11,601 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in Carnival by 41.9% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after acquiring an additional 26,141 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Carnival by 57.0% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares in the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.