FY2027 EPS Estimates for Carnival Raised by Zacks Research

Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2027 earnings estimates for shares of Carnival in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $2.58 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $2.57. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Carnival’s current full-year earnings is $2.21 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Carnival’s FY2028 earnings at $2.92 EPS.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.02. Carnival had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 26.92%. The business had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.13 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Carnival from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 30th. HSBC raised shares of Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $33.60 to $30.10 in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Carnival from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Carnival presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.18.

Carnival Stock Up 9.0%

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $26.05 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $26.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $28.04. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. Carnival has a 52-week low of $21.62 and a 52-week high of $34.03. The company has a market cap of $32.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 2.33.

Institutional Trading of Carnival

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 19.3% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 73,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,906,000 after acquiring an additional 11,884 shares during the last quarter. Bull Harbor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 1st quarter valued at $663,000. Strategic Investment Advisors MI boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 135.7% in the 1st quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 25,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $670,000 after acquiring an additional 14,836 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 4,047,133 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,740,000 after acquiring an additional 1,015,443 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 25.4% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 36,814 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after acquiring an additional 7,467 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total transaction of $313,965.72. Following the sale, the director owned 52,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,620.19. The trade was a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock worth $314,265. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 18th. Carnival’s payout ratio is currently 26.67%.

Trending Headlines about Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cruise stocks are rallying broadly, with Carnival outperforming peers as investors buy back into the sector after recent weakness; articles cited strong trading in CCL alongside gains in Norwegian Cruise Line and a comparatively smaller move in Royal Caribbean.
• Positive Sentiment: Lower oil prices are a key tailwind, since fuel is one of Carnival’s biggest operating costs. Falling energy prices can improve margin expectations and boost sentiment toward cruise operators.
• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s brands continue to support demand headlines, including Holland America Line opening bookings for its 2028 Grand Voyages and Seabourn launching a regionally inspired culinary program for its Alaska season, both of which reinforce the company’s ability to market premium experiences and fill future itineraries.
• Neutral Sentiment: One article noted growing Russell 1000 optimism around Carnival, which may reflect improving index/market attention rather than a direct operational catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary also pointed out that Carnival and other travel names have been volatile, with risk-off trading, geopolitical uncertainty, and fuel-cost sensitivity still weighing on sentiment when markets turn lower.

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.