Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CCL. Tigress Financial increased their target price on Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.00.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock opened at $29.99 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $28.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.20. Carnival has a 12-month low of $15.07 and a 12-month high of $32.89. The stock has a market cap of $35.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 2.51.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Carnival by 6.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 126,663,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,561,777,000 after buying an additional 7,157,739 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in Carnival by 184.3% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 10,289,947 shares of the company’s stock worth $289,353,000 after acquiring an additional 6,669,935 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Carnival by 99.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,159,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,535,000 after acquiring an additional 6,066,336 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Carnival by 50.7% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,510,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $419,573,000 after purchasing an additional 4,883,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 59 North Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 117.1% during the 2nd quarter. 59 North Capital Management LP now owns 7,704,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,642,000 after purchasing an additional 4,155,630 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.