Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Rating Increased to Hold at BMO Capital Markets

BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Carnival (NYSE:CCL) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on CCL. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Carnival from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Tigress Financial increased their price objective on Carnival from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Loop Capital began coverage on Carnival in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued a “buy” rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lifted their target price on Carnival from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Argus set a $35.00 target price on Carnival in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Carnival presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.99.

Carnival Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE CCL opened at $25.66 on Tuesday. Carnival has a 12-month low of $23.45 and a 12-month high of $34.03. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The company has a market cap of $35.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 2.32.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.07. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The firm had revenue of $6.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Carnival has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.220-2.220 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.350-1.350 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Carnival will post 2.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Carnival news, insider Bettina Alejandra Deynes sold 43,058 shares of Carnival stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.10, for a total transaction of $1,209,929.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 69,238 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,945,587.80. The trade was a 38.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 7.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Carnival

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Carnival by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 128,133,282 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,913,190,000 after buying an additional 368,445 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Carnival by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,074,173 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,468,185,000 after acquiring an additional 704,433 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Carnival by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,450,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $896,104,000 after acquiring an additional 683,311 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC raised its position in shares of Carnival by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 26,729,524 shares of the company’s stock valued at $816,320,000 after acquiring an additional 364,529 shares during the period. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its stake in Carnival by 2,954.0% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 19,851,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,625,000 after acquiring an additional 19,201,000 shares during the last quarter. 67.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s FY2026 earnings estimate was nudged slightly higher, and its FY2028 estimate was also raised marginally, showing analysts still see earnings growth over time.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary highlighted that FY27 bookings remain at historical highs, with strong pricing and occupancy suggesting demand is still healthy.
• Positive Sentiment: Carnival completed the Celebration Key pier extension early, doubling capacity at its private destination and potentially supporting more guest traffic and future revenue.
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent article argued that Carnival stock may look discounted on earnings, but noted that the recovery story is partly priced in and risks remain mixed.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut estimates for Q3 2026, Q4 2026, Q2 2027, and Q1 2028, reinforcing concerns that near-term profitability may be less robust than previously expected.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising oil prices tied to renewed Middle East tensions are pressuring cruise stocks, since fuel is a major operating cost for Carnival and can squeeze margins.
• Negative Sentiment: Carnival was also removed from several Russell growth indices, which may have added technical selling pressure.

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.