Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Shares Up 6% – What’s Next?

Shares of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) traded up 6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $31.13 and last traded at $30.4450. 15,223,629 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 14% from the average session volume of 17,653,307 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on Carnival from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays dropped their price target on Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Friday, December 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Carnival currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.00.

Carnival Trading Down 3.7%

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 stock has a market capitalization of $35.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.99, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 2.51. The company’s 50 day moving average is $28.90 and its 200 day moving average is $29.20.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last issued its earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.Carnival’s quarterly revenue was up 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last 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. On average, research analysts forecast that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Carnival by 6.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 126,663,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,561,777,000 after purchasing an additional 7,157,739 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 6,669,935 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 50.7% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,510,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $419,573,000 after acquiring an additional 4,883,024 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 59 North Capital Management LP raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 4,155,630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

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.