Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) shares gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $31.55, but opened at $28.85. Carnival shares last traded at $28.9110, with a volume of 10,183,445 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $35.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Carnival from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a research note on Friday, December 26th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Carnival currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $35.00.

Carnival Stock Performance

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $31.10 and a 200 day moving average of $29.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 2.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.32.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.14 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mishpacha Holdings Corp acquired a new position in Carnival during the 4th quarter worth $8,071,000. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 27.4% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 468,595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,311,000 after buying an additional 100,665 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Carnival by 2,432.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 6,689,954 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,311,000 after acquiring an additional 6,425,822 shares during the last quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. boosted its holdings in Carnival by 83.7% in the fourth quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 24,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,000 after acquiring an additional 11,222 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Carnival in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. 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.