Optiver Holding B.V. Raises Position in Carnival Corporation $CUK

Optiver Holding B.V. increased its stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CUK) by 124.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 728,577 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 403,937 shares during the period. Optiver Holding B.V.’s holdings in Carnival were worth $19,264,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Carnival by 36.5% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,717 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 70.0% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Carnival by 188.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,115 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. Mint Tower Capital Management B.V. increased its stake in Carnival by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Mint Tower Capital Management B.V. now owns 93,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,390,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Carnival by 23.3% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,574 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 865 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 23.80% of the company’s stock.

Carnival Price Performance

NYSE CUK opened at $31.44 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $30.63 and its 200 day moving average is $27.79. Carnival Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $13.65 and a fifty-two week high of $33.72. 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 company has a market capitalization of $5.93 billion, a PE ratio of 15.72 and a beta of 2.52.

Carnival (NYSE:CUK) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 27th. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that Carnival Corporation will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 7.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CUK. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Carnival to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold”.

About Carnival

Carnival plc (NYSE: CUK) is one of the world’s leading cruise operators, offering leisure travel services to millions of passengers each year. Through its portfolio of brands, the company provides passenger cruises that combine accommodations, entertainment, dining, shore excursions and onboard amenities. Carnival’s vessels range from contemporary “fun ships” to premium and luxury experiences, catering to a broad spectrum of travelers from families and couples to solo adventurers.

Founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company has grown through organic fleet expansion and strategic acquisitions.