North Dakota State Investment Board Purchases New Stake in Carnival Corporation $CCL

North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 37,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,132,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CCL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Carnival by 5.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Carnival in the first quarter valued at $228,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Carnival by 61.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 30,437 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 11,601 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Carnival by 41.9% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 88,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,141 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Carnival by 57.0% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 64,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,820,000 after purchasing an additional 23,484 shares during the period. 67.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Carnival news, Director Sir Jonathon Band sold 11,988 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.19, for a total value of $313,965.72. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 52,601 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,377,620.19. This represents a 18.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 Stock Up 9.0%

Carnival stock opened at $26.05 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $28.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 2.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.30. Carnival Corporation has a one year low of $21.62 and a one year high of $34.03.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.13 billion. Carnival had a net margin of 11.48% and a return on equity of 26.92%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Carnival Corporation will post 2.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $34.00 to $30.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Carnival from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, May 15th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $30.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Carnival from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on shares of Carnival from $33.00 to $28.70 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 30th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.18.

Key Carnival News

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.

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.