Russell Investments Group Ltd. Raises Position in Carnival Corporation $CCL

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,774,765 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 93,565 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Carnival were worth $51,867,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CCL. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Financial Services LLC now owns 10,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Carnival by 0.3% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 147,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,271,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Carnival by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 15,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 429 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 14,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $428,000 after buying an additional 451 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rathbones Group PLC boosted its stake in Carnival by 0.9% in the second quarter. Rathbones Group PLC now owns 51,544 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Carnival News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival’s recent results and guidance still provide a near-term fundamental buffer — the company beat Q4 EPS and has FY2026 EPS guidance, supporting the bull case that the business is profitable and cash-generative even as the stock falls.
• Positive Sentiment: Product/marketing lift — Princess Cruises (part of Carnival’s portfolio) announced a 2028 115‑day World Cruise, which shows continued willingness to expand itineraries and upsell premium itineraries that can support revenue per passenger. Princess Cruises Announces 2028 World Cruise
• Neutral Sentiment: Index/ownership context — Carnival’s presence in broad funds (S&P 500 exposure) means passive flows will matter; that can both cushion and amplify moves depending on ETF flows. Carnival Corporation Hospitality Travel Presence In S&P 500 Fund
• Neutral Sentiment: Some investors view the share weakness as a buying opportunity amid broader market selling; media pieces highlighting “buy” ideas may attract value-focused buying but won’t offset immediate macro-driven selling. Market Crash: 3 Stocks I’d Buy Without Hesitation
• Negative Sentiment: Unhedged fuel exposure — Carnival does not hedge fuel needs at scale, so the recent oil spike directly raises fuel expense risk and compresses margins relative to peers that hedge. This is the primary driver of today’s selloff. Carnival (CCL) Is Down 9.4% After Oil Shock Exposes Unhedged Fuel Costs
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical demand risk and sector contagion — reporting notes that cruising and travel sentiment softened after renewed Middle East tensions, which can reduce bookings or pricing power and hit sector multiples. ‘Cruising used to feel special.’ Cruise lines were struggling even before the Iran conflict hurt stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term volatility and heavy selling — multiple market reports show the stock being hammered on higher volume as investors price in fuel and margin risk; Carnival’s leverage and low current ratio increase sensitivity to profit shocks. Why Carnival Corporation & plc’s (CCL) Stock Is Down 7.52%

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CCL. Mizuho boosted their price target on Carnival from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Carnival from $38.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Carnival from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Carnival in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Friday, December 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.09.

Carnival Price Performance

Carnival stock opened at $26.16 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $30.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 2.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96. Carnival Corporation has a 52-week low of $15.07 and a 52-week high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.09. Carnival had a net margin of 10.37% and a return on equity of 28.39%. The firm had revenue of $6.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.38 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is 30.00%.

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.