Carnival (NYSE:CCL) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. Carnival had a net margin of 11.24% and a return on equity of 26.11%. The firm had revenue of $8.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.39 billion. Carnival updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 0.200-0.200 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 2.240-2.240 EPS.

Carnival Stock Up 11.8%

Carnival stock opened at $24.75 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $25.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. Carnival has a twelve month low of $21.45 and a twelve month high of $34.03. The company has a market capitalization of $33.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 2.31.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.03%.

Trending Headlines about Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Carnival reported that third-quarter 2026 results outperformed guidance, with its best-ever revenue, net yields and net income. Record bookings also provide a strong foundation for 2027, reinforcing the company’s demand recovery and pricing momentum. Carnival third-quarter 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: The results offer a favorable contrast with the recent share-price weakness and may ease concerns that Carnival’s recovery is losing momentum. Strong bookings are particularly important because they support future occupancy, pricing and onboard revenue.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors had been focused on whether management would discuss dividends, Holland America and fleet upgrades during the earnings update. These topics could influence the next phase of Carnival’s capital-allocation and growth strategy. Carnival earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Princess Cruises, a Carnival brand, launched an AI-powered cruise-planning app within ChatGPT. The initiative could improve customer discovery and bookings, but its near-term financial effect on CCL is uncertain. Princess Cruises AI app launch
• Negative Sentiment: Higher fuel prices remain a major concern because they can raise voyage costs and compress margins. Bank of America cut its Carnival price target as this cost pressure intensified, contributing to investor caution despite the company’s operational gains. Bank of America cuts Carnival price target
• Negative Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage also highlighted Carnival’s substantial debt burden and shares trading near a 52-week low. Those balance-sheet and valuation concerns may limit the market’s reaction unless management provides reassuring guidance on costs, cash flow and debt reduction.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CCL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Freedom Capital upgraded Carnival to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. Melius Research set a $36.00 price target on Carnival in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Weiss Ratings cut Carnival from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Carnival from a “market perform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Carnival from $43.00 to $39.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.45.

About Carnival

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL) is a global leisure travel company that operates cruise lines and related vacation businesses. Its brands offer ocean cruises, onboard entertainment, dining, accommodation, excursions and other travel experiences to passengers across a range of price points and destinations.

The company’s portfolio includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Cunard, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises.