Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

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

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Carnival from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Carnival from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $33.00 to $31.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.41.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock opened at $24.15 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The company has a market capitalization of $29.93 billion, a PE ratio of 12.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 2.42. Carnival has a one year low of $15.07 and a one year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.02. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.13 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Carnival by 5.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 5,435 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the first quarter valued at approximately $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in Carnival by 61.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its position in Carnival by 41.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CreativeOne Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Carnival by 45.2% during the 2nd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 20,162 shares of the company’s stock worth $567,000 after buying an additional 6,279 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both EPS and revenue; strong demand and record bookings support medium‑term revenue growth. Carnival reported non‑GAAP EPS of ~$0.20 and revenue of ~$6.17B, topping consensus and citing stronger onboard spend and bookings. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management authorized a $2.5B share buyback and highlighted improving cash flow/return to profitability — actions that are shareholder friendly and underpin upside if fuel pressure eases. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Mizuho raised its price target and maintained an outperform stance, and multiple firms continue to issue buy/overweight ratings — providing potential price support. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market moves are amplifying stock volatility today (broad indices down, oil rally lifting energy). That can exacerbate sector moves even when company fundamentals are mixed. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed financial metrics: top‑line growth and improved cash generation contrast with declines in operating/net income versus year‑ago levels — investors will watch margin trends and guidance cadence. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Company cut full‑year profit guidance, explicitly citing surging fuel costs driven by Middle East geopolitical tensions (management flagged a sizable fuel bill increase). That guidance reduction is the primary driver of the share decline. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Fuel expense hit: coverage cites fuel costs rising to roughly $2.15B and warns higher fuel will weigh on FY26 results — a direct margin headwind for a fuel‑intensive operator. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell despite the beat because investors focused on the guidance cut and macro‑driven oil spike — illustrating sensitivity to commodity and geopolitical risk. Read More.

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.