Zacks Research Comments on Carnival’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:CCL)

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2027 earnings per share estimates for Carnival in a research note issued on Monday, February 9th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $0.26 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.24. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Carnival’s current full-year earnings is $1.77 per share.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Carnival from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $35.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Carnival has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.00.

Carnival Stock Performance

NYSE CCL opened at $32.62 on Wednesday. Carnival has a fifty-two week low of $15.07 and a fifty-two week high of $34.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.31, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 2.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.39.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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