Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nineteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.00.

A number of analysts have recently commented on CCL shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on Carnival from $26.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Carnival from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 6.0% during the 2nd 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% during 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 during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 6,066,336 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Carnival by 50.7% during the third 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, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Carnival by 1,619.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,132,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,740,000 after purchasing an additional 4,833,723 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Carnival Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $31.77 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.41. The stock has a market cap of $39.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.88, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 2.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Carnival has a 12 month low of $15.07 and a 12 month high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.14 earnings per share. The firm’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. As a group, analysts predict that Carnival will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. Carnival’s payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

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.