Carnival Corporation $CCL Stake Cut by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lessened its holdings in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,989,544 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106,937 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Carnival were worth $60,761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 5.1% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 112,167 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,191,000 after acquiring an additional 5,435 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Carnival in the 1st quarter worth about $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of Carnival by 61.6% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after acquiring an additional 11,601 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Carnival by 41.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Carnival by 57.0% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Carnival from $37.00 to $36.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on Carnival from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Carnival from $39.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings raised Carnival from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their price target on Carnival from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $34.37.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total transaction of $313,965.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 52,601 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,377,620.19. This trade represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,000 shares of company stock valued at $314,265. 7.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Carnival Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:CCL opened at $25.20 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $26.21 and a 200-day moving average of $28.14. The company has a current ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82. The firm has a market cap of $31.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 2.33. Carnival Corporation has a twelve month low of $21.62 and a twelve month high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last announced its earnings results on Friday, March 27th. The company reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 11.48%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 18th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 18th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Carnival’s payout ratio is 26.67%.

Carnival 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.