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

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nineteen have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $35.00.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CCL shares. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Carnival from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Carnival in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Carnival from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 4th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd.

Carnival Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of CCL stock opened at $28.47 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $29.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.32 and a quick ratio of 0.28. Carnival has a 1-year low of $15.07 and a 1-year high of $32.89. The firm has a market cap of $33.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 2.51.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. 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, equities analysts forecast that Carnival will post 1.77 EPS for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Carnival by 0.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 127,764,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,693,681,000 after buying an additional 1,101,344 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Carnival by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,369,740 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,369,459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,845,850 shares in the last quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC boosted its holdings in Carnival by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 36,109,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,043,929,000 after acquiring an additional 291,864 shares during the period. Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its position in Carnival by 9.6% in the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,576,000 after acquiring an additional 2,783,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 7.4% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 27,617,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $773,398,000 after purchasing an additional 1,906,110 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.