Carnival Corporation $CCL Shares Bought by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors increased its stake in Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,140,378 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 180,343 shares during the period. Capital World Investors’ holdings in Carnival were worth $90,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Causeway Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Carnival by 9.6% during the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 31,912,001 shares of the company’s stock valued at $922,576,000 after purchasing an additional 2,783,927 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its stake in shares of Carnival by 12.8% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,476,341 shares of the company’s stock worth $158,321,000 after buying an additional 622,027 shares in the last quarter. Vestcor Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 71.4% in the third quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 40,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,159,000 after buying an additional 16,705 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Carnival by 378.7% in the third quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 181,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,259,000 after buying an additional 143,901 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its stake in Carnival by 5.6% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 1,774,765 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,867,000 after buying an additional 93,565 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.19% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Carnival

Here are the key news stories impacting Carnival this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seabourn (Carnival’s luxury brand) announced “The Denali Experience,” an eight-day pre-cruise program for 2027–2028 that expands high-margin luxury offerings and could help yield and pricing in the premium segment. SEABOURN INTRODUCES THE DENALI EXPERIENCE, EXTENDING ALASKA VOYAGES INTO THE HEART OF DENALI NATIONAL PARK IN 2027 AND 2028
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market write-ups show valuation momentum cooling after recent gains; investors are reassessing whether the stock’s run is sustainable amid mixed short-term performance. Assessing Carnival Corporation (CCL) Valuation After Recent Share Price Cooling
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: Royal Caribbean’s strong EBITDA trajectory highlights solid cruise demand but also raises competitive and margin-comparison considerations for Carnival. RCL’s EBITDA Nears $8B Target: How Strong Is the Profitability Story?
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: a Zacks note flagged Carnival’s share decline (the stock fell more than the broader market), reflecting the immediate selling pressure and raising short-term technical/flow risk. Carnival (CCL) Declines More Than Market: Some Information for Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Macro/commodity risk: reports link the share drop to heightened Middle East tensions that lifted oil prices — a direct cost headwind for cruise operators (fuel is a sizable operating input). Carnival (CCL) Stock Slides As Middle East Tensions Lift Oil
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst pressure: Stifel trimmed its price target (while keeping a Buy) and Goldman lowered its target to $30 (still a Buy) — both actions signal rising near-term headwinds (fuel costs, sentiment) and reduce upside expectations. Wall Street Still Likes Carnival $CCL But Still Drops Price Target Goldman Lowers Price Target on Carnival
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks moved Carnival from “strong-buy” to “hold,” increasing perceived near-term risk and likely contributing to selling pressure among momentum-driven holders. Zacks Research

Carnival Stock Down 8.0%

Shares of Carnival stock opened at $23.89 on Friday. Carnival Corporation has a 12-month low of $15.07 and a 12-month high of $34.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.60 billion, a PE ratio of 11.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 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. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $30.32 and its 200-day moving average is $29.38.

Carnival (NYSE:CCL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 19th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $6.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.38 billion. Carnival had a return on equity of 28.39% and a net margin of 10.37%.Carnival’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.14 EPS. Carnival has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.170-0.170 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.480-2.48 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Carnival Corporation will post 1.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Carnival Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Carnival’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on CCL shares. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Carnival in a report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley set a $33.00 price target on shares of Carnival in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Carnival from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Carnival from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Carnival from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Carnival has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $34.70.

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.